Delay on berets, no `rites of passage'

[Warlady]

Can you say SNAFU?

[BEST45CAL]

Delay on berets, no `rites of passage'
by Staff Sgt. Marcia Triggs

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 8, 2001)

The fielding of black berets for some commands will be delayed because of procurement problems, but soldiers will not be required to undergo any "rites of passage" in order to receive the beret, officials said.

"The sergeant major of the Army consulted with the senior command sergeants major around the Army and their recommendation was that soldiers who have completed Initial Entry Training were qualified to be issued the beret at their first duty station," said Master Sgt. Dave Schad, a spokesman for Sergeant Major of the Army Jack L. Tilley. He said senior Army leaders approved the recommendation.

The decision to eliminate the rites of passage, which were to have included an Army history test, was arrived at the same week Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki testified to Congress about the berets. He appeared before a hearing of the House Small Business Committee May 2 to answer questions about procurement of the black berets.

Congressmen said Bancroft Cap Company in Cabot, Arkansas, was contracted to produce 1.2 million of the 4.7 million black berets. They said that firm, out of the seven originally contracted, was the only one with a factory located in the United States.

Some members of Congress said the Department of Defense may have bypassed the Berry Amendment, which restricts foreign access to U.S. government defense procurement by giving preference to U.S.-based companies that offer domestically produced, manufactured or homegrown products.

During the hearing, small business owners expressed their frustration of not being able to obtain the contract because of the fast turnover rate the Army required. Shinseki's directive was for the entire service to don the berets June 14, on the Army's 226th birthday. However, because of three companies defaulting on their beret delivery and a policy decision not to issue berets produced in China, not all soldiers will be wearing the black berets next month.

Another reason some American small businesses were not awarded the beret contract is the design, according to statements made by members of the Congressional committee. The Army's standard beret is a one-piece seamless design. Some U.S. companies competing for the contract were able to produce only a two-piece sewn, not stitched, beret.

Shinseki said that he requested the berets, but it was the contracting decisions of the DoD acquisition authorities that dictated how the berets would be produced.

"I can only speak for the Army," Shinseki said, "and we're not in the procurement business."

Shinseki said that his order of business is transformation and building cohesiveness in the ranks. "It is important to ensure that all soldiers know that they are a part of the cutting-edge Army ... as momentum is gained with the first two Interim Brigade Combat Teams at Fort Lewis, Wash." he said.

"The black berets will build bonds between active-duty, reserve, aviation, maneuver and support communities," Shinseki said, "because no one wins wars alone. "We are all part of the Army's transformation," Shinseki said.

In October, Shinseki announced that the Army would outfit its soldiers with black berets as a symbol of transforming to a lighter, more-deployable force. But he said it was subsequently the Defense Logistics Agency that awarded the contracts for the berets.

DLA awarded contracts to companies with foreign manufacturers to supplement those manufactured by Bancroft. During the hearing, Lt. Gen. Henry Glisson, the Defense Logistics Agency director, said DLA made every effort to maximize small business participation in contracting for the black berets, but the extremely limited domestic manufacturing drove DLA to foreign-produced berets.

Contracts were awarded to three domestic small businesses that produced the berets in foreign countries and three foreign firms.

Shinseki said that it was in February he learned that the berets were being manufactured outside of the United States. Shinseki added that if he had known earlier he would have been more flexible with the time to don the black berets.

"We might have begun the process of implementation on June 14, but phased it over a longer period of time," he said.

Fielding of the black berets has already begun with the National Guard and Army Reserve, according to Lt. Col. Paul Hilton, who is coordinating the fielding plan in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. He said the goal is still to get the maximum number of berets to soldiers before June 14. The final fielding schedule is still being staffed, he said.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Hurry up and wait. I guess

Why Black?

And why does everyone have the same colour (yes colour) beret?

Even the NZ Army has different berets for different corps. And we only have 4500 people.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Surprising.. I didn't expect NZ to have a standing army.

Maybe they aren't relying on the sheep to fight off invaders.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Yeah. We have a standing Army.

It's taking a bit of a hammering recently.

We suffered our first combat death since Vietnam in East Timor.
Americans dropped bombs on one of our officers in the gulf recently.
Two soliders died in "truck accidents" in east timor and another one had a swimming accident apparantly.
Plus the govt wants to kill our airforce.

[The_Sonarman]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Why Black?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Because that's one of the few sexy colors, yes color images/icons/smile.gif, that goes along with cammies, or olive drab. Also.... it's long been the beret of the Rangers.... hard won. Ergo, suddently, EVERYONE gets to wear Ranger Black. "Hey.... I'm a tough guy, too.... I'm wearing the Ranger's Black Beret". Yeah... but they aren't wearing the Ranger patch....

My brother Eugene (Ponytail Guy, WL) was a Ranger. Tough bastard..... broke my collarbone by accident.

Oh.... and the Rangers get displaced.... now they have to wear a tan beret.... the wussy beret.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>And why does everyone have the same colour (yes colour) beret?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not just one color.... yes color images/icons/smile.gif, for the regular Army. There are several other colors in use. Green for Army Special Forces, Black for the Rangers... soon to be Tan..... and Black for the regular Army types. I might be missing a couple.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Sweet. So basically it's what we went through a few years back.

Tan is wussy?

SAS tan?
I guess Green and Maroon are wussy too?

[The_Sonarman]

Hey.... what can I say, Gary? I just know that my brother Eugene (military retired, ex-Ranger) is hacked off about it. images/icons/smile.gif

Speaking of the SAS (re: Special Air Service... NOT the Second Amendment Sisters), I know a member (ex) of the SBS. He is one interesting character....

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Oh he would be.

Apparantly in Vietnam, NZ grunt's berets could be traded to American soldiers for quite high prices.

Because they were green.

People who don't earn them, shouldn't wear them. If the rangers were allready black they should have kept black. Move the rest of the army to Tan or maroon or something - then they can pretend to be Special Air Service or Paratroopers or something.

[The_Sonarman]

Yes, Eugene is an interesting "cat". He did three tours in Vietnam... was turned down when he requested a fourth tour.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>People who don't earn them, shouldn't wear them. If the rangers were allready black they should have kept black.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Precisely what we were discussing on this forum, an earlier thread. Your comment is essentially what everyone else said (ie. leave the existing tradition alone.... create a new one if you like for the regular army).

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Move the rest of the army to Tan or maroon or something - then they can pretend to be Special Air Service or Paratroopers or something.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Once again, I completely agree. You leave the existing "tradition" alone (ie. the US Ranger's 'black') and create a new one if you want (ie. regular army wears yet another color, etc.).

The General who thought this up and did it.... supposedly did it to "make ALL the army feel elite and proud of itself". Well.... he did it at the cost of alienating the VERY PEOPLE he shouldn't have.... their elite troops..... who just happen to be the training cadre spread throughout the Army. You see.... they do have an "all Ranger" group.... but the other Ranger-qualified people go back to their regular army units.... essentially "training cadre" within the regular army groups.

It was NOT a smart move on Shinseki's part.... not his "finest hour". You make people "proud" of being an elite..... by their own achievement of high standards.... NOT by "feel good about yourself" support groups, etc.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Why not have daily hugs and feel good sessions too?

And remove all that nasty shouting?
And remove the punishment for not being up to standard?
And stop talking about that whole getting killed thing - it really doesn't make me feel like I am realising my full self-actualization potential.
And replace those horrible looking tanks with some flower power combi vans.

images/icons/smile.gif