I was so excited to see the cover story of this week’s Army Times: “WILL THE BRASS DUMP THE BERET?”
On his Facebook page, Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler asked, “If you could change one thing about the Army Combat Uniform (ACU), what would it be?” Over half of the 165 comments mentioned getting rid of the beret in some form or fashion. Some recommended keeping the beret for only NCOs and officers (probably from junior enlisted troops) and others (like myself) recommended only keeping the beret for dress uniform use. The only other complaint that popped up more than the beret was the velcro we use on our uniform.
After reading the story and checking out the SMA’s Facebook page, I sent the following letter to the editor about my experiences with the beret:
Dear Editor,
I really hope that Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler takes into account the feelings in the field while making his decision on whether or not to dump the beret. As a Senior NCO, I’m dedicated to enforcing Army policy and supporting the beret within my formations, but I sure do long for the day when I no longer have to see this thing.
For the past few months, I’ve been in and out of dermatology to have patches of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) removed from my face. Almost all basal cell carcinomas occur on parts of the body excessively exposed to the sun — especially the face, ears, neck, scalp – areas exposed by being forced to wear the beret. Anyone with a history of sun exposure can develop BCC. For the first eight years of my military career, I was stationed in desert environments and wore the black beret. My first assignment was with the 11th ACR in Ft. Irwin, CA and we wore the black beret as part of our DCU. At the end of that assignment, the beret was adopted as official headgear of the US Army in 2001 and I’ve worn it ever since.
In order to protect the health of our troops and prevent future warriors from dealing with the risks associated with skin cancer, it is imperative that we abolish the beret. I recommend retaining it as part of the Class A or B uniform only and revert to the soft cap as the daily duty uniform headgear. The fact is that most troops abhor the beret to begin with, so abolishing it would go a long way to raising moral. I also wouldn’t spend so much time correcting troops coming up with every excuse possible to explain why they’re walking around post with a softcap!
MSG CJ Grisham
Ft. Hood, TX
While I was with the OPFOR at NTC, we had to wear the black beret as part of our garrison uniform.
I hated it then and I hate it now. I provides absolutely no protection from the sun. While I wasn’t ALWAYS good about wearing sunscreen, I did wear it when I knew I’d be in the sun for long periods of time. The problem is that even the best sunscreen is useless unless applied often while exposed to the sun. Standing in formations for promotions, motor pool operations, and other events while wearing the beret aren’t conducive to frequent applications of sunscreen.
I’m convinced that the beret is at least partially responsible for my BCC. Wearing the beret for 16 years has provided no protection for my face. I’m glad that the SMA is looking into this and soliciting the opinions of our troops.
