Posted at 11:25 a.m., Thursday, June 14, 2001

Army begins switch to black berets

Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea — After a brass band and military parade the order came: "Uncover! Command, don your beret!"

Seven hundred U.S. soldiers standing in neat formation at a military parade ground removed their old camouflage hats today and donned black berets, becoming the first to wear the U.S. Army's new headgear.

The Army decided last year to make black berets standard, and all soldiers make the switch today, the Army's 226th birthday.

Time differences made 28,000 soldiers based in South Korea the first to make the change.

"It feels more comfortable, and I think it represents the Army better," said Sgt. William Werden.

Today's ceremony at Seoul's Yongsan headquarters of the 8th U.S. Army was marked by military precision.

On command, the 700 Army soldiers took off their old hats in unison and put on black berets they took from their pockets. Dozens of family members and civilian workers watched and clapped.

Similar ceremonies took place at U.S. military posts across South Korea, said military spokeswoman Lee Ferguson.

A total of 37,000 U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy soldiers are based in South Korea under a security alliance to ward off threat from communist North Korea and help maintain the fragile armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

Along with South Korean soldiers, thousands of U.S. troops guard the heavily fortified border with North Korea.

The black beret has for years been the exclusive headgear of the elite Rangers. Only three Army units are authorized to wear berets: Airborne units, Special Forces and Rangers.

All soldiers were initially to wear black berets by late today, but contractual problems have caused delivery problems in some areas.