Green Beret Ban

Publishing daily posts on The Beret Project for almost 15 years, I have regularly come across articles, forums, statements from folks in the military who believe only they should be allowed to wear a beret…

This is especially so for berets in certain colours; green for Special Forces, maroon for Airborne units, light blue for UN personnel, etc.

What these uninformed people don’t realize, is that the military beret is a direct descendant from the Basque beret; the first military beret being the “tarte” of the Chasseurs Alpins in 1888 – a large Basque beret. And the history of Basque berets goes back centuries longer than military berets!

Earlier last year, Commanding General MG Richard E. Angle of  the US Army Special Forces Command (Green Berets, since 1952), petitioned for a nationwide ban on green berets that are “not earned”. What sounds like a joke, is deeply serious, with Congress voting today to implement such a ban.

Traditional manufacturers of (military) berets, including Laulhère and Boinas Elósegui, have been advised on import restrictions of green berets to the United States. 

What this means for individuals caught wearing a green beret on US streets is, so far, unknown.

Meanwhile, South Pacific Berets has still a large selection of both military and Basque berets in green on offer!