Beret
Beret
Posted on Jan 1, 2015
Inclusion in the military. You're special, just like everyone else.
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the real military
I can't help but to feel that we tend to over compensate in some areas. Inclustion in the military is one of them that I feel that we overreach. Everyone should feel like a member of the team and should feel that they are valuable. But there is a point where you try to make everyone feel special. If everyone is special then we are all the same and you redefined what really is special. Changing norms will not have the desired effect you may intend in the long run.
First, it was the black beret. I understand that others wore it before the Rangers did. But the only ones who were wearing it was the Rangers at the time. Below is an official statement.
"In the United States Army, the beret has become a symbol of excellence of our specialty units. Soldiers of the Special Forces, our airborne units, and the Ranger Regiment have long demonstrated such excellence through their legendary accomplishments and unmatched capabilities. Their deployability, versatility, and agility are due, in part, to their organizational structure and equipment."
They got it right that they beret was a symbol of excellence. But if everyone in the Army is excellent wouldn't that just be average. Excellence reserved for those that strive beyond that that is average. But everyone got it and were so proud of it all.
Next came the awards. Now we have awards such as the Combat Action Badge, Sapper Tab, Jungle Expert Tab, and the Army Instructor Badge. I understand the intent behind them. But I can't recall a time when so many new badges came out in one shot. At first Special Forces didn't even have a tab and the President himself was the one that authorized the wear of the Green Beret.
In addition we have more patches that came out. We now have the "MP" and "CBRN" patch. I thought you were to only wear them when on duty that is not the case now. I am sure there are some more.
Are we developing a culture where we award you for doing your job? Should you get an award for what is expected of you? Do you deserve a special uniform accessory for just being in the Army and if so is it special anymore if everyone has it?
It always reminds me of this movie. It is a comedy. This clips explains it pretty well.
First, it was the black beret. I understand that others wore it before the Rangers did. But the only ones who were wearing it was the Rangers at the time. Below is an official statement.
"In the United States Army, the beret has become a symbol of excellence of our specialty units. Soldiers of the Special Forces, our airborne units, and the Ranger Regiment have long demonstrated such excellence through their legendary accomplishments and unmatched capabilities. Their deployability, versatility, and agility are due, in part, to their organizational structure and equipment."
They got it right that they beret was a symbol of excellence. But if everyone in the Army is excellent wouldn't that just be average. Excellence reserved for those that strive beyond that that is average. But everyone got it and were so proud of it all.
Next came the awards. Now we have awards such as the Combat Action Badge, Sapper Tab, Jungle Expert Tab, and the Army Instructor Badge. I understand the intent behind them. But I can't recall a time when so many new badges came out in one shot. At first Special Forces didn't even have a tab and the President himself was the one that authorized the wear of the Green Beret.
In addition we have more patches that came out. We now have the "MP" and "CBRN" patch. I thought you were to only wear them when on duty that is not the case now. I am sure there are some more.
Are we developing a culture where we award you for doing your job? Should you get an award for what is expected of you? Do you deserve a special uniform accessory for just being in the Army and if so is it special anymore if everyone has it?
It always reminds me of this movie. It is a comedy. This clips explains it pretty well.
Awards
Badges
Beret
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 47
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I agree in principle with most of these points. As the S1, I recently had to review an award submitted by a SRNCO for his Soldier that passed a record APFT....barely passed. And this is after failing 3 previous APFTs over 9 months (1 record and 2 diagnostics). Why is he trying to recognize a Soldier for doing what is REQUIRED of them?! He said it was because the Soldier improved the score by over 40 points, well that's easy to do when you have a failing score of 152!! And let's be honest, is a 192 something to be really proud of?
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1SG (Join to see)
MSG Mark Stinson thanks for sharing this example that supports my reply to another NCO. Some units have higher standards due to their unique missions.
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SGT John Rambo
I agree, I was Infantry....we had to max our PT as the unit standard, it was not an award.
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Beret? I think that was stupid. I agree that giving recognition and awards away makes them valueless. And giving the beret to the entire Army made the beret meaningless. The Army is way to big and diverse to have a strong esprit de corps like the Marine Corps does. Having pride in your Branch, MOS, battalion, company, or what have you is very important to uphold Army standards as well as morale. So if the thing is given to everyone it's meaningless. But if it's given to those who earn it, it means something. The MP patch is new, but they used to be allowed MP armbands back in the day, so I don't see that as being new. And it denotes MPs as NOT anybody else. As for the Sapper tab, if infantry can have the Ranger Tab, why can't we have a Sapper Tab? It represents being the best of the best as a combat engineer. I don't see how a combat engineer wearing a Sapper Tab dilutes the value of a Ranger Tab. If the Engineer Corps gave Ranger Tabs when you graduated Sapper Leader Course, I can see Infantry and Rangers being pissed.
As for the Combat Action Badge, that's just the Army recognizing what Combat Engineers have know for a long time, "Infantry may be Queen of the Battle, but it combat engineers who make sure she don't get raped." That was a deliberate poke in the eye, and an attempt at humor. Hope nobody takes it too seriously.
As for the Combat Action Badge, that's just the Army recognizing what Combat Engineers have know for a long time, "Infantry may be Queen of the Battle, but it combat engineers who make sure she don't get raped." That was a deliberate poke in the eye, and an attempt at humor. Hope nobody takes it too seriously.
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SGT Scott Henderson
I think the point isn't will one award cheapen another. The point is that there were only a few units that had distinctive uniform items (SF, Ranger, Airborne). Now everyone wants to feel special do they've created the Sapper Tab, gave everyone the black beret, and created badges like the CAB. Personally i never gave a shit about it until i became a Cav Scout. I never wore a Stetson or spurs for the exact reasons others have stated. It's hard to take pride in your achievements when your (supposedly) unique traditions are handed out like fucking Halloween candy.
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MAJ Haris Balcinovic
SSG (Join to see) you did read his last sentence where he said that was a deliberate poke in the eye and an attempt at humor?
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SGT Thomas Mitchell
Berets for everyone? They don't have a lot of utility. Now the booney hat has some utility
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Well, CPT (Join to see), I wrote a longer response to this thread, but it disappeared when I clicked Respond.
Bottom line is that I agree with you: If everybody's special, then nobody's special.
That said, WE'RE ALL WINNERS!!!
PS: Great photo and excellent movie clip! Thanks for sharing both.
Bottom line is that I agree with you: If everybody's special, then nobody's special.
That said, WE'RE ALL WINNERS!!!
PS: Great photo and excellent movie clip! Thanks for sharing both.
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CPT (Join to see)
I love that movie. It is one of the best examples of it. I wish we would reserve the beret for the elites like we did in the past. Average is not something you should strive for. It is expected.
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