12 Oct 61: The first public wearing of the green beret, coinciding with a briefing and Gabriel demonstration for President John F. Kennedy at McKellars Pond, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

This remarkable visit was to demonstrate to the president that the unconventional threat to our nation could best be countered by new kinds of strategies and new kinds of forces.

The green beret, personally authorized by Kennedy, was highly symbolic of this new breed of warrior, led by a true visionary, Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough.