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US Army berets - blue, black, green, maroon, tan...


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What colour berets dose the 101st wear now, red or black?

 

Black -- with the 13-star blue flash. Just like most of the Army does.

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I was going through my collection and came across a brown Canadian made beret that I believe was worn by a US Army Calvary Unit during the time period when just about everyone was wearing berets. I picked it up a couple of years ago at a flea market. Can anyone confirm that this was ever worn?

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I was going through my collection and came across a brown Canadian made beret that I believe was worn by a US Army Calvary Unit during the time period when just about everyone was wearing berets. I picked it up a couple of years ago at a flea market. Can anyone confirm that this was ever worn?

As I said in an earlier post, the troops in Alaska wore a brown/tan beret in the mid 1970's. I seem to remember a squadron or troop of the 1st Cavalry up there at that time in the 172nd Infantry Brigade(Light). I believe they were Air Cavalry.

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ATB...The crest on the brown beret is the 187AHC the "BLACKHAWKS" and were Air Cav. This unit severed in Vietnam but I am unaware if they wore berets. I did see pilots were their Stenson's in base camp though....

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ATB...The crest on the brown beret is the 187AHC the "BLACKHAWKS" and were Air Cav. This unit severed in Vietnam but I am unaware if they wore berets. I did see pilots were their Stenson's in base camp though....

That DUI is for any element of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, not the 187th AHC. Check any ASMIC DUI reference or the US Army Center of Military History Cavalry Lineage book. According to Stanton, the 187th AHC were the Crusaders and were part of the 11th AVN BN and 269th AVN BN at different times in-country between March 1967 and February 1972.

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In late '67 and 1968, the 1st and 2nd Bn, 27th IR used Combined Reconnaissance and Intelligence Platoons (CRIP) as recon elements. The 2nd Bn wore these berets; I do not know if the 1st did.

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When I served with Trp D 5th Arm Cav, 187th Inf Bde (USAR) 75-76 we wore a black beret with a red/white flash with the 5 Cav DUI on it. I know I turned a few heads when I reported to and left my OSUIT (BCT/AIT) back in 75. I enlisted in Jan 75, attended drills till I reported to Ft. Polk, LA for Basic and AIT (11B). Since I was instructed to report there in uniform, I was wearing my black beret. As soon as I can find the beret, I'll take a picture and post it.

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Hello. I want ask you, about wearing black berets by LRRP/RGRs with A class dress in Nam war time?

Have they wore garison cap/cap or black beret with khaki/green A class uniform.

And what about in Nam or USA?

Thanx

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In reference to the thread on the use of black berets in Vietnam, I thought the forum might be interested in this slightly mothed yet unusual and original example. Black wool with rayon lining and plastic sweatband, 'bevo' tailor's label for 'Luong-Tan, 91Rue Cankat, Saigon' beneath plastic shield and paper '57' size label. To the crown a machine-stitched Vietnamese-made SSI for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

From the minimal information I have been able to find on the internet (www.eaglehorse.org), it seems as if this black beret was worn by Aero Rifle Platoons of the 11th ACR, and from what it seems there were actually very few members of this unit (only four seven-man squads ?).

If anyone has any more info, in terms of numbers / purpose, on the ARP / 11th ACR I would be grateful.

When I found this beret at a US flea market, some years ago, it also had hand-stitched to the front a US-made full-colour 'US ARMY, Vietnam' SSI - so I presume the veteran continued to wear the beret when back stateside for post-war reunions. I unpicked this additional SSI, but still have it safe.

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The olive-brown beret with 1st Cav DUI was worn by Troop E (Sep), 172nd Inf Bde in Alaska, which was indeed an Air Cav Troop and included an Aero Rifle Platoon (where I saw the beret, worn with field clothing and overwhites, in Jan 1979) who wore an Air Assault badge next to the flash. HQDA had squelched the beret fad effective the previous 1 Oct, but they could still be seen in use occasionally. During the JACK FROST FTX in Jan-Feb 79, various 172nd personnel made a point of "using them up" with field uniforms.

 

During the beret craze of circa 1973-1978, MI units at Ft Hood wore UN Blue/Oriental blue ones, as well as flashes of varied shape cut out of plastic coffee can lids, naugahyde or felt. Some other non-Divisional units had gray berets. Anybody out there able to fill in the rest of the story?

 

Someone told me in that period the 121st Inf (Old Gray Bonnets) of the Georgia NG wore gray berets -- ??

The Scout Platoons of the MDARNG Inf Bns (no flash) and the 1-228th Cav (Cav flash) wore black berets.

I ran into a USAR sgt from Pittsburgh area FA Bde who wore a scarlet one (Canadian, meant for Guards and MPs) with a 327th Inf black/gold flash. Do not recall his DUI.

 

I once encountered a USMC Major at a Pentagon bus stop who was wearing a green beret. It was the usual PX-purchase Bancroft SF pattern, with a bright officers' EGA -- on a 5th Inf Div SSI (red diamond) as a flash. He told me that it was a "limited test" item, authorized by G-1 HQ MarCor at Henderson Hall (up the hill), where he was assigned. Anyone else know of this?

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  • 1 month later...
Blue berets were worn by USAF Security Policemen from the early 1970's up until the 1990's or possibly even later. That's the only blue beret I know of used by the American Armed Forces.( Not counting the female blue beret worn by USAF in the 70's & later.) I have no idea why an Army flash would be on a blue beret either.

 

 

Blue berets are STILL worn by USAF Security Forces (2009) though you will see black in some units for supply reasons.

 

T-Bone

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This sold recently on e-pay; I lost out but am attaching the pic for study purposes. That flash is different than the plastic-encased badges mentioned in Hudspeath's book, as well as the leather ones shown in a related thread.

 

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  • 2 years later...

Santa came early...I found a couple of old berets. Pictures aren't the greatest; hey, what can I say.

 

The black beret has a flash which was worn in the 70s by several units; since it's on a black beret it's from one of a few armored cav units.

 

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Here's an "air assault" beret with a 503rd Airborne DUI:

 

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I'm pretty happy I found the air assault beret for a good price. Anyway, I thought I'd put these in this thread.

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Following are some of my father's photos from the NCO Candidate Course at Ft. Benning late 1967/early 1968.

 

First up is an instructor wearing what appears to be a black beret. I can't tell what flash and DUI are on it. To me it looks like a scroll over a DUI.

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Next up are some photos of guys in his NCO Course company at Ft. Benning posing for my father. He was an amateur photographer and would take pictures of the guys to send home to their families.

 

First up is a guy wearing what looks like a black beret with the Infantry School DUI and no flash. He is not wearing any jump wings so I'm not sure if this was authorized even locally or just something he threw together to look impressive for the picture.

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Next are a couple of guys wearing black berets with the unassigned airborne oval with a blue and white airborne tab and jump wings.

 

If you compare the two photos, especially the fabric around the flash, they look like the same beret so it may be something that the airborne guys put together and passed around for the pictures.

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I was viewing a US Army film from the mid-60s, and got a screenshot of this instructor in hand-to-hand combat; he looks like he perhaps is the same guy in post #42. I can't see what he's wearing under the tab.

 

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.................................

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Definitely looks like the same guy to me. In this and the the other shot you posted it looks like he's wearing a Ranger tab over a DUI I can't make out on the beret. It might be the 29th Infantry Regiment which has long been associated with Fort Benning.

 

However, it doesn't look like he has a Ranger tab over his Infantry School SSI on his left sleeve. Would it be possible to be a Ranger instructor without being Ranger qualified?

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