manatee wrote:Since this is "the thread that wouldn't die" I will ask two questions relating to the current US Army beret:
1. I am sure there are interesting standards as to how it is supposed to appear. What are they, and how does a soldier accomplish this?
2. What is the flash on the front that soldiers are now pinning their unit crests to? I have asked active duty personnel and I have never got an answer.
The current US Army beret is all black, the crest is blue and has stars surrounding the edge. Check out any military clothing shop for a picture (
www.rangerjoes.com).
I hated the beret I had to wear with my sousaphone in high school. We looked like a bunch of french schoolgirls. The military style is the way to go.
As far as military standards and getting the military look, it takes some work, but a little time can get you a really sharp looking beret. Check out this link for the military standards:
http://www.detrick.army.mil/soldiers/beret.pdf
Although not officially sanctioned, most soldiers use a safety razor to shave all the fuzz off prior to wearing. Then you use cold water to drench the beret and put it on and shape it to your head. You pull all the material to the right and drape it over your right ear. See the link above for the standards. Once shape, you leave it to dry and voila! You have a sharp looking beret.
You can also buy "pre-shaved, pre-shaped" berets from
http://www.rangerjoes.com This is what I'd recommend. Tell your band director you want to look like men, not a bunch of french sissies.
I hope that helps.
--Darrell Pugh