|
A symbol of unity Come Feb. 26, Hawaii's Army soldiers -- active and reserve -- will be sporting black berets as a symbol of the Army's transformation to a lighter, more deployable force.
Army soldiers will don
new black berets as a sign
of military prideBy Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.comA week later the 3,000-member Hawaii Army National Guard will begin issuing the new head gear as its soldiers report for their monthly drills throughout the state.
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Epheridge, the top noncommissioned officer for the 25th Infantry Division, said, "The black beret is a symbol of discipline, integrity and unit pride and all those other values the Army stands for."
Epheridge, who is a Ranger qualified soldier, received his beret last year when he attended a conference held by the sergeant major of the Army.
"I've been carrying mine in my pocket ever since then," he said.
|
When Epheridge was given the opportunity to be part of the citizens' brigade that carried the Olympic torch to Salt Lake City last month, the black beret was with him, as were a small American flag and coins representing the 25th Division and Task Force Eagle, which he said will be accompanying to Bosnia for six months beginning in March.Some Schofield Barracks soldiers received their berets last week and were required to attend classes on its proper wear.
"It's over your left eye and point to the right," Sgt. Cheryl Wooden told several members of her unit, the 556th Personnel Services Battalion, at one session. That meant the blue shield, or "flash," would be centered over the wearer's left eye and the flap of the beret pointed to the right of the wearer.
The soldiers also were told that the brim should be one inch above the eyebrow, and any labels or ties strings have to be tucked under the beret.
The Army issued 2,000 berets to soldiers at Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter. Each soldier can expect to get two. On Feb. 26, at exactly at 11 a.m., "everyone is supposed to stop what they are doing and don the new berets," Epheridge said.
Sgt. Lorena Hernandez, a six-year Army veteran, welcomes the change. She wore a maroon beret as a member of an airborne unit, the 18th Airborne Corps, between 1995 and 1998.
"I actually missed it when I had to take it off," she said. "I love it. It brings out pride."
She said that weather was never a factor at Fort Bragg. "I wore it in the summer and in the winter and I never had any problems," Hernandez said.
Spc. Rodney Durant doesn't believe it will be hard to maintain the wool head gear.
"We probably won't wear it in field exercises since we have our helmets," Durant said.
Spc. Harmish Patel described the berets as being "more professional. It looks better and is more comfortable."
Because of the Army Reserve's monthly drill schedule, the headquarters of the 9th Regional Support Command, the major command element of the Pacific Army Reserve, will get to wear the black berets first.
Lt. Col. Howard Sugai, Army Reserve spokesman, said, the headquarters element of the 9th RSC will have a short ceremony on Feb. 23 during its monthly drill. "We've had them for more than a year now," Sugai said, "and we're good to go."
The remaining 3,400 soldiers in the Army Reserve here and in American Samoa and Guam will follow.
The donning of the black berets, replacing the current baseball-style soft caps, was to have taken place last June 14 on the Army's 226th birthday. But numerous snags, including winning over the Army's elite Ranger units and the fact that many berets were foreign-made, had to be overcome.
In a speech more than a year ago to the annual convention of the Association of the United States Army, a booster organization, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki made a surprise announcement about the berets.
"When we wear the black beret it will say that we, the soldiers of the world's best army, are committed to making ourselves even better," Shinseki said in October 2000.
Shinseki said the beret would be a "symbol of unity." However, his announcement was met by loud criticism from Army Rangers who already wore the black berets. The Army later announced that the Rangers would trade their black berets for tan ones. Army paratroopers will continue to wear their maroon berets.
Then the Army had to recall all the berets made in China and dispose of them as surplus stock after objections were raised by Congress. The Army had contracted with several garment manufacturing firms overseas to fill some of the orders because of concerns expressed by U.S. manufacturers that they would be unable to fulfill the order of more than 2 million berets in time.
The U.S. House Armed Services Committee said the Army was violating rules to "buy American." The controversy came as tensions between China and the United States turned sour following the midair collision of a U.S. surveillance plane and a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea on April 1, 2001.