South Dakota National Guard
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information:  Maj. Mark Johnston, (605) 737-6721

S.D. Army Guard to don berets in October

RAPID CITY – Due to problems in production, wearing of the Black Beret will have to wait for members of the South Dakota Army National Guard. Although 16 states will be wearing berets in June, the issue date for South Dakota has been pushed back to October 1, 2001.

The Army Chief of Staff, General Eric K. Shinseki announced last October that the Army will begin wearing the black beret by the next Army birthday, June 14.

"Starting in 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."

All soldiers will initially wear the universal flash, except for those in units that already have berets, such as Ranger, Airborne and Special Forces. These troops will continue to wear the beret flashes they currently have.

The new flash, worn on the left front of the beret, is a semicircular shield 1-7/8 inches wide and 2-1/4 inches high. It has a bluebird background with 13 white stars superimposed just inside its outer border. Officers will wear their rank in the center of the shield.

"The flash is designed to closely replicate the colors (flag) of the commander in chief of the Continental Army at the time of its victory at Yorktown," said Pam Reece, an industrial specialist with the Army's Institute of Heraldry.

The BDU cap will remain the optimum headgear in the field when the kevlar helmet isn't worn. Berets don't shade the eyes from the sun or hold up to weather as well as way a cap. The black beret will be worn in garrison.

The color 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 US Army Rangers adopting the black beret in the mid-1970s, it was worn by armored cavalry units and armor troops at Fort Knox, Ky.

The Army's elite Ranger units will exchange their black berets for a tan beret.

Tan is the one universal and unifying color that transcends all Ranger operations. It is reminiscent of the numerous beach assaults in the European Theater and the jungle fighting in the Pacific Theater of World War II, where Rangers and Marauders spearheaded victory.

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