Army dumps beret as official ACU headgear

Army dumps beret as official ACU headgear
By Lance M. Bacon - Staff writer

The troops spoke, and the leadership listened: On Tuesday, patrol caps will once again be the official headgear for the Army Combat Uniform.

The beret change is one of several key uniform changes provided to Army Times by Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler.

The changes were prompted by feedback from “thousands of soldiers” through post-deployment surveys, social media and discussions with soldiers during base visits, said Chandler, who sees himself as a “scout” for the Army secretary and chief of staff and a “voice in the Pentagon” for every soldier.

A top issue was the beret, which became standard headgear on June 14, 2001. Then-Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki said the change was not about recruiting, retention or morale, but rather about “our excellence as soldiers, our unity as a force and our values as an institution.”

But soldiers during the past decade have bemoaned the beret, which takes two hands to put on and can’t be carried in a pocket. Unlike the patrol cap, which has ventilated sun protection, the beret isn’t even included on the deployment packing list.

Most soldiers in Chandler’s surveys didn’t oppose wearing the beret with the service uniform but were adamant that its days with the ACU come to an end.

When Army Times last May asked soldiers for their feelings about the beret, more than 300 soldiers of all ranks and specialties chimed in: “Dump it.”

“It was time to dump it 10 years ago,” wrote Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Vino of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. “I hate wearing a wet sock on my head. Plus it makes my head/skin break out.”

Chandler took his findings to Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey. Together, the duo presented their recommendations to Army Secretary John McHugh, who made the change official.

Beret colors will remain as they are, and units that have historically worn the beret — Rangers, Special Forces and Airborne — will still be allowed to wear the beret as their standard headgear. Other unit commanders will also retain the option to order the wear of the beret with ACUs as they see fit, Chandler said, using a change-of-command ceremony as an example.

News of more uniform changes will be available in this week’s Army Times.