Shinseki and the Black Beret
The Atlantic’s James Fallows writes today about opinion for Shinseki’s appointment running 100-to-1 positive and the General’s decision to make the black beret standard wear Army-wide running 100-to-1 negative.
There’s an Army webpage here that goes into this decision and the resulting feedback in more depth. Some excerpts:
“Today, the distinctive emblem of these units is the wear of the beret. But, over the past 50 years, berets have been worn by a variety of Army formations–airborne, armor, cavalry, infantry, ranger, special forces, and others. The black beret was being worn by formations Army-wide, when it was approved by the Army for wear by the Ranger Regiment in 1975. Today, it remains one of our symbols of excellence in The Army as reflected by its wear in the Ranger Regiment.” — from Gen. Shinseki’s order, effective June 2001
“To symbolize The Army’s commitment to transforming itself into the Objective Force, The Army will adopt the black beret for wear Army-wide. It is not about increasing recruiting; we achieved our recruiting target of 180,000 recruits last year–without a beret. It is not about retention; for the second year in a row, we exceeded our reenlistment goal by a wide margin–without a beret. It is not about morale; Soldiers are ready today to go into harm’s way. It is about our excellence as Soldiers, our unity as a force, and our values as an institution.” — from Gen. Shinseki’s order, effective June 2001
“My initial reaction to the decision to make the black beret the offical headgear of the Army was one of anger and disappointment. … I decided that we members of the United States Army Ranger Association needed to band together and mount a massive campaign to get the decision reversed. … Upon reflection, I have come to realize I had elevated the black beret to a place of virtual idolatory and in so doing I was missing the fact that the beret is just a symbol which points to the reality that we, the Rangers, are the elite of the Army. … If the black beret can contribute to the unification of the Army, then — Rangers Lead the Way.” — Richard G. Jones, Major USA Ret.
“I tried to apply those critical thinking lessons to this beret issue that’s consumed the Army and what it tells us about ourselves. I’ve re-examined the Chief of Staff’s comments and given some thought to other important issues he raised. The first conclusion I’ve drawn is that many of us - me included - owe the Chief of Staff an apology, and the rest of the Army needs an Alpha Charlie. This whole episode caused me to reflect on old saying - Little things affect little minds.” — J.D. Pentry, Command Sergeant Major (Retired)
