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

[steeve555]

On 11/28/2019 at 1:46 AM, Grunt1SG said:

 

There are no 11 series assigned to SF groups, not even in support roles.

 

All of them have some type of support MOS, from cooks to mechanics and everything in between

 

That's true from 85 on.  Prior to 85 I was a Heavy Weapons Sgt.  I wore Infantry rope, blue disk and cross rifles.  My MOS was 11H

[steeve555]

2 hours ago, steeve555 said:

When I was in the 172nd from 73-76 they transitioned from soft caps to berets.  The three regiment's were the 4/23, 1/60 and 4/9th (at Wainwright).  The legs wore O.D. Green and Charly Co's wore maroon.  The guys that directly supported the airborne companies example the medics an FO's jumped with us also wore maroon.  I was in the 23rd our flash was a white upside down wedge into sky blue.  This transition must of been well thought out.  One day we were told to go down to supply.  We drew are berets with flash already sewn on.  Then we had a formation and the commander instructed us to remove our soft caps and put on our berets.  Not sure what Brigade Commander wore.  He did jump with us but he probably was on permissive jump status and would of worn O.D.

Here is a O.D. beret my friend just sent me photo.  He was in B 4/23rd Inf.  As said in previous posts.  All the O.D. berets were made in Canada.  Since maroon ones were some what common they may have came from else wear.

 

[steeve555]

2 hours ago, cavcon said:

At Ft. Richardson, the 60th Infantry Regiment had the berets prior to August of 1973.   I know this for a fact as my uncle was 1st Sgt. Of HQ Co and he gave me his in August of 1973.   

I didn't get there until Nov 73.  1/60th was in same barracks row we were in.  Actually there barracks were the next one in the row from ours.  I never saw any berets until 1975. From what I understand some Airborne guys started wearing maroon berets in early 73.  They were told not to wear anymore shortly after.  Was your uncle airborne?

[BEAR]

Disregard post

[cavcon]

On another note, found this pic of a 17th cavalry Trooper in Vietnam.  I can’t tell

if the beret is black or another color.  Good pic of the flash and DI. 

[patches]

16 hours ago, cavcon said:

On another note, found this pic of a 17th cavalry Trooper in Vietnam.  I can’t tell

if the beret is black or another color.  Good pic of the flash and DI. 

Do you know what Squadron he's in?

[Ealbert]

8 hours ago, patches said:

Do you know what Squadron he's in?

He was in E Troop in the 17th Cav of the 173rd and then was LRP in N Company and was awarded the Medal of Honor

[e19]

On 10/17/2021 at 1:43 PM, steeve555 said:

That's true from 85 on.  Prior to 85 I was a Heavy Weapons Sgt.  I wore Infantry rope, blue disk and cross rifles.  My MOS was 11H

Which SF MOS course did you go through in SFTG?  Year?

[steeve555]

1 hour ago, e19 said:

Which SF MOS course did you go through in SFTG?  Year?

11B Heavy weapons

[Vanderbilt]

On 9/9/2021 at 10:45 AM, seanmc1114 said:

 

This photo came from Facebook and indicates the soldier was with the 1st Battalion 12th Cavalry at Fort Hood, and give the date as 1976. 

 

One thing I note is that the soldier is wearing both the Phillipine Presidential Unit Citation as well as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross and Civic Actions Unit Citations the battalion earned. I believe at some point in the 70's the awards regulations were changed so that current members of a unit were no longer authorized to wear the Vietnamese unit awards their unit had earned.    

 

I'm not sure where the fourragere comes in as that the unit ever earned one.

.....not sure about this unit. I spent a year with the 2/7 Cavalry in the 1st Cav (1981-2). We were authorized to wear the Fouragerre with our dress uniforms. 

[patches]

3 hours ago, Vanderbilt said:

.....not sure about this unit. I spent a year with the 2/7 Cavalry in the 1st Cav (1981-2). We were authorized to wear the Fouragerre with our dress uniforms. 

I was next door to you, 2/12 Cav May 80-May 81, I too seem to recall the 2/7 Cav in Khakis or Class As with the French Rope at this time, do you know the lineage for it? As no elemts of the 7th Cav served in Europe in either WWI or WWII, the same hold true for the two battalions of the 12th Cav, like when I was in it.

[e19]

5 hours ago, steeve555 said:

11B Heavy weapons

When MOSs changed from all numeric in 1965,  SF Heavy Weapons was 11CxS, 11BxS was SF Light Weapons….when did 11BxS become Heavy Weapons?

 

[Vanderbilt]

9 hours ago, patches said:

I was next door to you, 2/12 Cav May 80-May 81, I too seem to recall the 2/7 Cav in Khakis or Class As with the French Rope at this time, do you know the lineage for it? As no elemts of the 7th Cav served in Europe in either WWI or WWII, the same hold true for the two battalions of the 12th Cav, like when I was in it.

.....well, it has been 40 years and my hazy memory can't recall the exact reason we were allowed to wear the Croix De Guerre. It was explained to me. Now, a little digging on the web says the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop was cited in WW2. Not sure how it was conflated as a unit award to cover the whole division.

[steeve555]

8 hours ago, e19 said:

When MOSs changed from all numeric in 1965,  SF Heavy Weapons was 11CxS, 11BxS was SF Light Weapons….when did 11BxS become Heavy Weapons?

 

I was actually 11B3P4 which was a TOW gunner. At that time the TOW section was in the weapons platoon.  We were cross trained by our platoon sergeant on motors.  When we were at range instead of hanging around (there was a lack of training equipment and life rounds for TOW's) we worked with the Charlies.  I and the guys in the TOW section could put a morter in position put out aiming stacks and hang a round pretty good .  Since I was 11B3P4 and had motor experience they put me threw the heavy side.  Which was mostly Charley stuff.  Since there was no way to designate Anti Tank in the MOS system in the mid 70's until sometime in the 80's since Hotel wasn't used between around 72 to sometime in the 80's.  I probably shouldn't used 11H since I was not in a conventual unit when they bought it back I think in the 80's (They drooped it again in 2001).  I filled the Heavy Wpns slot on the Team until MOS converted to 18B in 85.  Then I went to JR slot.  I was never 11H3S.  I was 11B3S since at time the Q course was not able to award MOS's

[e19]

Why couldn’t SFTG award MOS’s???  Who did?

[McChizzle]

On 9/9/2021 at 10:45 AM, seanmc1114 said:

 

This photo came from Facebook and indicates the soldier was with the 1st Battalion 12th Cavalry at Fort Hood, and give the date as 1976. 

 

One thing I note is that the soldier is wearing both the Phillipine Presidential Unit Citation as well as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross and Civic Actions Unit Citations the battalion earned. I believe at some point in the 70's the awards regulations were changed so that current members of a unit were no longer authorized to wear the Vietnamese unit awards their unit had earned.    

 

I'm not sure where the fourragere comes in as that the unit ever earned one.

 

Can anyone point me to other photos of 1st Cav soldiers of the TRICAP era wearing their beret that look more Army official (no smiling)? I am looking for something more official to help prove their use, color, and how worn. Photos like the above could be argued as being unofficial so the soldier could be wearing stuff that was not authorized.

[steeve555]

7 hours ago, e19 said:

Why couldn’t SFTG award MOS’s???  Who did?

At that time you already had to have the MOS to attend the Q course.  You received your MOS at AIT or for 11 series I'm sure there was some who got MOS in a OJT program.  When they went to 18 Sierras SF Training group was given authority to issue MOS when course was completed, so it didn't matter which MOS you started class with. 

[MPage]

OK gents, I have this one in my hot little hands.  It's a German-made civilian beret and I suspect that the 15th Infantry DUI is also German-made.  The 3rd ID patch is cut-edge.  This evidently is from the 1/15 Infantry (Mech)'s time in Germany (since 1958) as part of the 3rd ID, and perhaps the person was in the scout platoon.  The 1/15 Infantry also had a LRRP detachment circa 1960, but I'm going to conclude that this is probably not a LRRP beret.  This beret just seems from the 60s though. Maybe not.

 

I found a pic on Flickr (attached) of the three men in the Scout Platoon, 1/15th Infantry from I guess the 80s.   The guy on the right seems like he may have the 3rd ID's SSI as a flash, but if he does, it's been rotated a quarter-turn clockwise. 

 

Boy am I glad I got ahold of this one!

 

[gunguy45]

This one is from the 3rd ACR. 

[MPage]

Regarding my last post regarding the 3rd ID beret:  How early do you men think that Mechanized US Army units wore black berets in Germany?  

[seanmc1114]

 

 

[seanmc1114]

2nd Battalion 34th Armor - 1975

[McChizzle]

10 hours ago, seanmc1114 said:

 

 

 

 

Do you all think these two berets are the same color and shade?

[seanmc1114]

12 hours ago, McChizzle said:

 

Do you all think these two berets are the same color and shade?

Yours slightly more tan to me, but it may just be the lighting.

[seanmc1114]

Black or blue beret with unknown flash and DUI worn by aviation personnel at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in 1974. Note they are wearing the Forces Command SSI.