Crest on a maroon beret?

[NurseTim]

I've never seen this before. What are the circumstances that the SF crest would be worn on a maroon beret?

[Richard]

Non-SF qualified but airborne qualified and assigned to an SF Group - 1st SFGA in this instance.

Richard

[blue02hd]

For at least 24 years.

[NurseTim]

Thanks for the replies.
I remember driving on base on Bragg and seeing a felmale in whites, pregnant as I remember, wearing a green beret. I was amazed. It was explained that you could wear the green beret if you were support personnel. I still think this is wrong.

I was in a paramedic program at the time. We had two gentlemen with relaxed grooming standards carrying HS, for the time, pagers. They said it was because they were covering the TMC. These guys didn't exsist on our rolls in class. They were like no one I had ever encountered before.

Originally Posted by Brush Okie

The rules have changed over time. When I went through jump school there was a female support soldier that was wearing the Green Beret due to being assigned to an SF unit. That was the 80's. Later on ie by the early 90's only Q course qualified could wear the Green Beret and support wore maroon if jump qualified. I am not sure what year it changed. Yea I was surprised as well.

The maroon beret is organizational headgear (just as green was prior to the change) since SF is an Airborne unit. One does not need to be airborne qualified to wear a maroon beret.

[hoepoe]

On a somewhat related topic, in the UK Armed Forces, as well as the Israeli Defense Force, the paratroopers (and SF) too wear red berets.

Back in my lane,

Hoepoe

[Richard]

Originally Posted by WCH

One does not need to be airborne qualified to wear a maroon beret.

In 1-507th, if you were assigned and airborne qualified, you wore the maroon beret; if not airborne qualified, you wore the BDU cap.

Richard

[Airbornelawyer]

The change went into effect in January 1993. I had just graduated Airborne School the previous month, and had to change berets shortly after getting back to Group.

The change wasn't just a color change, but a purpose change. Previously, the green beret was a unit distinguishing item. The change made it, like the tab, an indication of your qualification.

Before then, the tab distinguished SF-qualified from non-SF-qualified in an SF unit. Before the tab, the full flash vs. "candy stripe" served the same purpose. I have no idea what the rule was before the candy stripe.

The change also applied to Ranger-qualified personnel, so the black beret also went from being a unit item to a qualification item, and Ranger-tabbed support personnel in an SFGA could wear the black beret with the group flash.

As I recall, the change came from USASOC, so it only applied within units under it. After Shinseki's "let's male everyone feel special" policy change, I assume the rule applied Army-wide, but that's after my time. Though maybe some units still have their own exceptions - even if SF-tabbed, I don't think you'd wear green instead of tan if you were in the 75th, though maybe it's different in RTB. Anybody know what XVIII Corps and the 82nd's policy is?

[jbour13]

Originally Posted by Airbornelawyer

Anybody know what XVIII Corps and the 82nd's policy is?

Sir, they still follow the AR closely and don't allow any non-conformist activities. I think you have to be holding a MTOE billet with an 18 Series MOS to wear the headgear in that capacity, otherwise you'll wear the Org headgear. I don't know of any MTOE slots, but I've spent too much time in the USASOC area the last 8 years to know much of what goes on down the street.

I know in groups, PA/Surgeons that were prior 18 Series Enlisted still wear the headgear without a person blinking. In the community it's less and less common the closer you get to the flagpole and extremely rare outside USASOC/SOCOM/JSOC.

I've seen some guys come from Ranger Regiment that have met the time standard and tab requirement to be able to wear their tan beret within USASOC units. That isn't common, but one of my 35Fs did it while assigned to 3rd SFG(A) for about a month until someone just told him it stood out too much. He got tired of pulling the reg from his pocket and explaining. He's tabbed and has the 2nd Bn scroll on his right sleeve. Even in Group, you'll find there is a bit of a desire to conform, especially when the Group CSM asks why you don't look like others.