GREEN BERET

The 'green beret' is the official headgear as part of the uniform of several military forces.

Contents

List of military forces that wear the green beret as part of their uniform

United States Army Special Forces

The Royal Marines (British)

Coastal Jägers (Finnish)

Green Berets of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Swedish Rangers

Other uses

See also

Footnotes

List of military forces that wear the green beret as part of their uniform

★ Irish Army Rangers Wing

★ UK (various shades of green)

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★ Royal Marine Commandos

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★ Royal Navy, Army and Air Force Commandos

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★ Intelligence Corps

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★ Adjutant General's Corps

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★ The Rifles

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★ Special Reconnaissance Regiment

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★ Essex Yeomanry

★ United States Army Special Forces

★ Finnish Coastal Rangers (marines)

★ Royal Swedish Amphibious Corps

★ Swedish Coastal Rangers

★ Royal Norwegian Jeger Battalion (Rangers)

★ Norwegian Border Battalion on the Norwegian-Russian border

★ Commando units of the Belgian Paracommando Brigade

★ Malaysian Army Grup Gerak Khas

★ New Zealand Army

★ Russian Border Guards Paratroopers

★ Dutch Royal Korps Commandotroepen

★ French Foreign Legion and Naval Commandos

★ Israeli Intelligence Corps and Border Police

★ Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

★ Infantry of the German Army (except the paratroops and mountain infantry)

★ Infantry branch of Indonesian Army (except Special Forces)

★ Canadian Army

★ Portugal (two shades of green)

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★ Paratrooper Forces

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★ Special Operations Forces

United States Army Special Forces

In the U.S. armed forces, the green beret may be worn only by soldiers awarded the Special Forces Tab, signifying they have been qualified as Special Forces (SF) soldiers. Special forces wear it because of a shared tradition which goes back to the British Commandos of World War II. Although it is unusual for American units to wear distinctive head gear, it is the norm in the British Army, where most regiments wear headdress which reflects regimental history
The U.S. Army Special Forces wear the green beret because of their link to the British Commandos of World War II. The first Ranger unit, commonly known as Darby's Rangers, was formed in Northern Ireland during the summer of 1942. On completion of training at the Commando Training Depot at Achnacarry Castle in Scotland, those Rangers had the right to wear the British Commando green beret, but it was not part of the regulation uniform at the time and was disallowed by the U.S. Army.^[1]
When visiting the Special Forces at Fort Bragg on October 12, 1961, President Kennedy asked Brigadier General William P. Yarborough to make sure that the men under his command wore green berets for the visit. Later that day, Kennedy sent a memorandum which included the line: ''"I am sure that the green beret will be a mark of distinction in the trying times ahead"''. By America's entry into the Vietnam War the green beret had become a symbol of excellence throughout the US Army.
On April 11, 1962 in a White House memorandum to the United States Army, President Kennedy reiterated his view: ''"the green beret is a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom."'' Previously, both Yarborough and Edson Raff had petitioned the Pentagon to allow wearing of the green beret to no avail, but the President did not fail them. As a side note, while popularly known as the ''Green Berets'', US Army Special Forces soldiers do not refer to themselves as such - they refer to themselves as ''Special Forces'', the beret is just the head piece, not the title.

The Royal Marines (British)

A Royal Marine is only allowed to wear the green beret once he has passed the Commando Course. Personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force volunteering for service with Commando Forces undertake the All Arms Commando Course. Commando-qualified Royal Marines always wear the green beret, but commando-qualified personnel from other services only wear it (with their own cap badge) when serving with commando units and sometimes when serving at Training Establishments; the commando badge of a fighting knife on a tringular patch is worn on the sleeve in perpetuity by those who have passed the course.^[2]

Coastal Jägers (Finnish)

Finland's 675 nautical miles of coastline, its shallow and rock-strewn archipelago, long, dark and icy winters and the vital importance of sea transport to Finland's prosperity make the Navy's littoral field of operations unique and challenging. The Finnish Navy, which like the rest of the Finnish Defence Forces depends on compulsory military service, is responsible for maritime surveillance, repelling territorial violations and safeguarding vital sealines of communication. The Navy comprises its headquarters along with seven units, including both naval and coastal establishments. The Uusimaa Brigade, along with the Naval Commands, train coastal troops such as Coastal Jägers (Finnish: Rannikkojääkäri, Swedish: Kustjägare, English: Coastal Jäger) during a 180 - 362 day training period at the Vasa Coastal Jäger Battalion. A Coastal Jäger is allowed to attempt the twice a year arranged "Beret March", once he has passed the compulsory training and if he meets up to some additional requirements. If a Coastal Jäger completes the Beret March, he is entitled to wear the green beret with its sea eagle badge.

Green Berets of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Green Berets were also a gear of choice and the name of a Bosnian, initially paramilitary, force during the Bosnian War from 1992-1995. They were integrated into a newly founded Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in second part of 1992. The Green Beret as a gear of choice and name was selected both as a reference to United States Army Special Forces (although no actual relation existed) and as a common color brand of the predominant ethnic group that composed the unit, namely Bosniak Muslims. Bosnian Green Berets were mostly active during the war in the early part of 1992 in northern and central Bosnia.

Swedish Rangers

The Swedish Coastal Rangers (Swedish: Kustjägare) as well as the Arctic Rangers (Swedish: Norrlandsjägare) are allowed to wear the green beret after finishing the "Beret march", which is similar to the Finnish equivalent. The Swedish Coastal Rangers are identified by the Neptune's trident badge, which is attached on the right arm or on the chest when wearing the uniform M/87. Before 1994, the trident was attached to the beret itself. The army rangers use a crowned ND (Kongl. Norrlands Dragoner) - Royal Dragoons of Norrland. The army rangers are trained in Arvidsjaur.

Other uses

''Green Beret'' was another name for ''Rush'n Attack, an arcade game.

See also

★ United States Army Special Forces in popular culture

★ Beret

★ Black beret

★ Maroon beret

★ Tan beret

★ Red beret

Footnotes

1. Army Black Beret: A Short History of the Use of Berets in the U.S. Army
2. JSP 336 3rd EDITION, VOLUME 12, PART 3 - CLOTHING, PAMPHLET NO 15 - BADGES, EMBELLISHMENTS AND HEADDRESS, ANNEX B