• Thanks for stopping by. Logging in to a registered account will remove all generic ads. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

US Army Berets

Lumber

Army.ca Veteran
Donor
Reaction score
1,454
Points
1,190
Now, I've served with a lot of USN personnel, but my experience with the US Army is relegated to West Point cadets and movies or TV shows.

My question is, why do (apparently) US Army berets look so poorly formed? (i.e. the front crest sits really high and the side 'flap' hangs really low). Is it just because movie producers don't know how a beret should look, or does the US Army actualy wear their berets so high up and pointy? Do they not see how the rest of NATO wears their berets?
 
US Army pers wear beret's as per their dress regulations. Also, some people have better formed berets than others(also seen in the CF). 

I'm sure many members of the US Army have seen other NATO military pers wearing berets, but that doesn't mean the Americans have to change their berets. There isn't a NATO standard when it comes to beret sizes, or which side the fold/flap goes, etc.

9314637850_7b723949b4_b.jpg


I wouldn't go off movies for a reference in the wearing of uniforms.  If you wish to see how they actually wear their uniforms, a Google search will yield many images and information.
http://www.army.mil/symbols/beret.html
 
LightFighter said:
US Army pers wear beret's as per their dress regulations.

And we do? We cut out the liner and trim the stiffner. And most people I've seen wear it very flat, often with none of the little trench/fold on the left side.

I guess I was just wondering if the berets I see in movies is indicative of how they actually wear them or not. I didn't mean to imply everyone is better than the US when it comes to how to wear a beret.
 
Lumber said:
Now, I've served with a lot of USN personnel, but my experience with the US Army is relegated to West Point cadets and movies or TV shows.

My question is, why do (apparently) US Army berets look so poorly formed? (i.e. the front crest sits really high and the side 'flap' hangs really low). Is it just because movie producers don't know how a beret should look, or does the US Army actualy wear their berets so high up and pointy? Do they not see how the rest of NATO wears their berets?

I think they prefer to wear helmets, unlike the rest of NATO, which is probably the best way to go anyways if you want to properly prepare people for battle.  ;D
 
Lumber said:
And we do? We cut out the liner and trim the stiffner. And most people I've seen wear it very flat, often with none of the little trench/fold on the left side.

I guess I was just wondering if the berets I see in movies is indicative of how they actually wear them or not. I didn't mean to imply everyone is better than the US when it comes to how to wear a beret.

Do our berets need the trench/fold?  Mine doesn't - it's pretty much a skullcap on my head (when I wear it). 
 
daftandbarmy said:
I think they prefer to wear helmets, unlike the rest of NATO, which is probably the best way to go anyways if you want to properly prepare people for battle.  ;D

After seeing British Para and Marine commercials, etc I thought maroon and green berets were a source of
invincibility and warrior prowess. 

Lumber said:
And we do? We cut out the liner and trim the stiffner. And most people I've seen wear it very flat, often with none of the little trench/fold on the left side.

American berets from what I've seen are quite a bit larger(more fabric) than ours, hence the fold ogoes over the ear and a trench on the other side - which appears to be the standard they follow. As well, with the beret flash(patch) I'm not sure how much of the cardboard stiffener they can trim or if it's even allowed to be trimmed.
 
Dimsum said:
Do our berets need the trench/fold?  Mine doesn't - it's pretty much a skullcap on my head (when I wear it).

This was my point, a lot of members don't wear our berets IAW the dress regs, but I think they look much better as a result.
 
Lumber said:
This was my point, a lot of members don't wear our berets IAW the dress regs

We can do that, but that doesn't mean it applies to another military. They have their own standard for the wearing of a beret, and it would appear they aren't authorized to differ from it. Some US soldiers do tend to form their berets better(more tighter looking, etc) than others though. 
 
Am I missing something? Did the world change since I retired waaay back in 1994? We used to shrink our berets and form them while wet and contracting, while it appears from observation the Americans do not.

Again, looking at pictures, we did not in the Second World War, but by the time I joined in 1957 it was policy to shrink the berets. There is a chicken or egg factor, as in the war, our troops wore large cap badges, while post-Korea and perhaps earlier, the badges were about the current size.
 
Since the only image (so far) of a beret is that of a pancake (well, more like a large crepe) sitting atop of what appears to be a Chasseur Alpins, who's to say that method of wear is odd.  After all, supposedly les Chasseurs Alpins were the first military organization to wear berets as standard military head dress.  Maybe they're normal and the rest of us are odd.  I, like most English speaking soldiers of my generation, seemed to favour the well shrunk and tightly formed beanie.  Back then though, Van Doos and other Francos seemed to lean toward an excess of beret material pulled down over the ear.  Maybe the US Army emulated them.
 
LightFighter said:
After seeing British Para and Marine commercials, etc I thought maroon and green berets were a source of
invincibility and warrior prowess. 

“What Manner Of Men Are These That Wear The Maroon Beret?

They are firstly all volunteers and are toughened by physical training. As a result they have infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which comes from well-being. They have 'jumped' from the air and by doing so have conquered fear.

Their duty lies in the van of the battle. They are proud of this honour. They have the highest standards in all things whether it be skill in battle or smartness in the execution of all peace time duties. They are in fact - men apart - every man an emperor.

Of all the factors, which make for success in battle, the spirit of the warrior is the most decisive. That spirit will be found in full measure in the men who wear the maroon beret”  Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery

:salute:
 
Blackadder1916 said:
Since the only image (so far) of a beret is that of a pancake (well, more like a large crepe) sitting atop of what appears to be a Chasseur Alpins, who's to say that method of wear is odd. 

There's always this from the Israelis:

img_0317.jpg
 
daftandbarmy said:
“What Manner Of Men Are These That Wear The Maroon Beret?

PeterMcKinley_1390484c.jpg


However, if you've received the MC, some leeway as to dress is to be expected.
 
We just have to go back to the berets of WW II... And they were huge - when compared to today's standards.

I still have my dad's tank corp beret from 1939.... And it's big.... About the size of the American beret.

Come to think of it, my 1968 Canadian infantry corp beret is about that size.....
 
OK, OK, it's time for the "buttons and bows" good idea fairy to touch his (or is it her?) magic wand on the Army G1 ...

                                 
The-Good-Idea-Fairy-3.jpg


Since everyone is wearing berets nowadays it is, clearly, time for the Canadian Army to go "back to the future" yet again and re-adopt the Wedge cap!

We've worn then before ...

image003.jpg

                                                            Fancy and plain

BillyBishopCadet.jpg
rcamcofr.jpg

                                                                  Winter and summer

rcr_headress_06.jpg
rcr_headress_08.jpg

                                                                                                                                  And in war and peace, before and after unification

And there's there's enough room for "design" to keep a large committee of military middle managers buys for years.  :nod:
 
In all fairness, Billy Bishop is wearing an Astrakhan in that photo, not a wedge.  And I believe RMC cadets still wear those!
 
Based on the colour, are you suggesting we re-role The RCR as an airfield defence regiment  >:D
 
dapaterson said:
Based on the colour, are you suggesting we re-role The RCR as an airfield defence regiment  >:D

For a period of time we had a CF Green wedge cap in the supply system. It was underwhelmingly popular, at least with the army. 
 
proper beret wear

http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/uniforms/proper-wear-of-the-army-b.shtml
 
tomahawk6 said:
proper beret wear

http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/uniforms/proper-wear-of-the-army-b.shtml

In all fairness, I've seen many, many, many Canadian berets that look just like that.
 
Back
Top