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The green beret is the official headgear of the Royal Marine Commandos, the United States Army Special Forces, The Finnish Coastal Jägers (marines), the Royal Swedish Amphibious Corps, the commando units of the Belgian Paracommando Brigade and the Dutch Royal Korps Commandotroepen. Special forces wear it because of a shared tradition which goes back to the British Commandos of World War II. Although it is unusual for American units to wear distinctive head gear, it is the norm in the British Army, where most regiments wear hats or cap badges which reflect regimental battle honours and traditions.
United States Army Special Forces, the Green Berets
In the U.S. armed forces, the green beret may only be worn by personnel awarded the Special Forces tab, signifying that they have been qualified as Special Forces (SF) soldiers.
The U.S. Army Special Forces wear the green beret because of their links to the British Commandos of World War II. The first Ranger unit, commonly known as Darby's Rangers, was formed in Northern Ireland during the summer of 1942. On completion of training at the Commando Training Depot at Achnacarry Castle in Scotland, those Rangers had the right to wear the British Commando green beret, but the U.S. Army disallowed this, and Rangers never officially wore their berets. So the first time Green Berets were first officially put in action was in the Vietnam War.
When visiting the Special Forces at Fort Bragg on October 12, 1961, President Kennedy asked Brigadier General William P. Yarborough to make sure that the men under his command wore green berets for the visit. Later that day, Kennedy sent a memorandum which included the line:
- "I am sure that the green beret will be a mark of distinction in the trying times ahead".
- "green beret is a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom."
It should be noted that Special Forces soldiers qualified to wear the Green Beret do not refer to themselves as 'Green Berets' - they are Special Forces, and a 'Green Beret' is a hat.
The Royal Marines (British)
Royal Marines wear the Green Beret to indicate that they have attended a 30 week training course and a physically demanding set of tests of endurance, by displaying courage, determination, teamwork and good spirits in adversity.
To become a Royal Marine, you must prove in training that you have the necessary qualities and skills: fitness, commitment, discipline and self-confidence. You’ll get some of this from training but you must be fit and determined from the start.
A Royal Marine is only allowed to wear the green beret once he has passed the Commando Course. Other regiments are allowed to send their ranks on an All Arms Commando course where they can train to pass the commando course and receive the Green Beret. However tthese ranks are only allowed to wear the coveted Green Beret when working with the Royal Marines.
Although some other regiments around the world do wear a green beret, there is only one Coveted Green Beret and that is worn by a Royal Marine Commando.
Coastal Jägers (Finnish)
Finland´s 675 nautical miles of marine border, its shallow and rock-strewn archipelago, long, dark and icy winters and the vital importance of sea transport to Finland´s prosperity make the Navy´s field of operations littoral, unique and challenging. The Finnish Navy, which consists of compulsory military service as the rest of The Finnish Defence Forces, is responsible for maritime surveillance, repelling territorial violations and safeguarding vital sealines of communication. The Navy comprises of its headquarters along with seven units and establishments including naval and coastal elements. The Kotka Coastal Command and Uusimaa Brigade, along with the Naval Commands train coastal troops such as coastal jägers during a 180 - 362 day training period at the Vasa Coastal Jäger Battalion. The coastal jäger is allowed to try to carry out the beret march, which is only arranged twice a year, once a coastal jäger has passed the required compulsory training and meets the supplementary demands. If the coastal jäger has passed the beret march, he is entitled to wear the green beret and the attached sea eagle badge.
Other uses
Green Beret was another name for ''Rush'n Attack, an arcade game.
Other resources
See also
"Green beret"