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By
Gary Sheftick
, Army
News Service
WASHINGTON,
D.C. - The BDU cap still will be used in the field, even after the
Army adopts the black beret for garrison wear as part of its ongoing
transformation, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Jack L. Tilley said.
"The
saucer cap and garrison cap could go away," Tilley said,
"But those are things we've got to work out."
Tilley
will work with a group of senior NCOs to iron out the details of how
the Army will adopt the black beret next June. He was charged by Army
Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki with devising an implementation
plan for the entire Army to don the berets.
"This
is a great idea - it's a way to pull the Army together," Tilley
said. "The beret has instilled pride in soldiers for years."
Shinseki
announced recently that soldiers will begin wearing the black beret on
June 14, the Army's first birthday of the new millennium. Shinseki
said the beret will be a symbol of the Army's transformation to a
lighter, more deployable force.
"Starting
next June, the black beret will be symbolic of our commitment to
transform this magnificent Army into a new force - a strategically
responsive force for the 21st century," Shinseki said. "It
will be a symbol of unity, a symbol of Army excellence, a symbol of
our values. When we wear
the beret, it will say that we, the soldiers of the world's best army,
are committed to making ourselves even better."
Tilley
said black was chosen for the beret because it's a standard color that
has been worn in the past by soldiers in several types of units.
Prior to the U.S. Army Rangers adopting the black beret in the
mid-1970s, it was worn by armor troops at Fort Knox, Ky., and by those
in armored cavalry units.
"The
black beret has been used by light and heavy forces before, on and
off, over the years," Tilley said.
The
Army's elite Ranger units may select a different color for their
beret, Tilley said.
"I've
been talking to the regimental sergeant major," Tilley said,
referring to Command Sgt. Maj. Walter Rakow of the 75th Ranger
Regiment headquartered at Fort Benning, Ga. "We're going to do
what's good for him and what's good for the rest of the Army."
Tilley
indicated that Rakow may be part of the group that decides how wearing
of the black beret will be implemented across the Army. The group will
decide how many berets need to be ordered. It will decide what kind of
instruction needs to be provided on how the beret is worn. It will
also recommend when new soldiers will be issued the beret - for
instance upon graduation from basic training, advanced individual
training or perhaps when they arrive at their first permanent unit.
"It
will be a rite of passage," Tilley said of new soldiers donning
the beret, but explained the details have not yet been worked out.
Tilley
also indicated that Armywide ceremonies may be planned for June 14
when soldiers at posts and stations worldwide don the black beret for
the first time.
National
Guard and Army Reserve soldiers will be involved as well, for they
will also wear the black beret, Tilley said.
He
said the BDU cap will remain the optimum headgear in the field when
the kevlar helmet isn't worn. Berets
just don't shade the eyes from sun and hold up to weather the way a
cap does, he said.
Tilley
said he doesn't expect any new Army regulations on hairstyles to
accompany wear of the berets.
He
predicted that the berets may help recruiting, but said that had
nothing to do with the reasoning behind the decision to adopt them.
Tilley
said he has been receiving lots of positive e-mail from soldiers about
the berets, but admitted that the comments have been "mixed"
and that some people are less than enamored with the idea. He said
young soldiers seem more excited about the idea of wearing berets than
senior NCOs and veterans.
"I
think that it's uplifting for soldiers," Tilley said about
adopting the beret. "It's very positive. It's a part of change.
I've been in the Army a long time and change is part of being a
soldier."
And,
Tilley said, change is what transformation is all about.
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