FORT BENNING, GA -The headgear for garrison operations is the black beret. The headgear for training environments is the patrol cap.
Leaders are enforcing this standard by placing NCOs in high-traffic civilian areas to make on-the-spot corrections, said CSM Earl Rice, U.S. Army Infantry Center command sergeant major.
"A uniform that's designed for work detail, for field environment, should be kept for that environment. You don't take garrison uniform out to the field. When you go out to those locations, then you dress accordingly," Rice said. "It's deeper than a beret versus an ACU cap. It's something about standards and discipline. It's something about getting Soldiers to do what is right. It's discipline."
Areas where the patrol cap is prohibited include off post, the shoppette, the PX and the commissary.
The purpose of the regulation is to distinguish the patrol cap strictly as a field cover, said CPT Christopher Russo, an assistant operations officer for 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment.
"I was out at a local restaurant and caught some of my fellow junior officers - very new to the Army - come into the establishment with the improper headgear," he said, "so I went over and said something to them and tried to explain the policy."
Russo said it was frustrating for him to task NCOs with an extra duty when some of his fellow officers were disobeying the rules.
"It shows that we're not professionals if we don't care about the simple things encompassed in our profession," he said. "It's too easy to just bring your beret if you're going to leave post. To say that's a ridiculous policy to follow is just being lazy."
The black beret, which carries historical significance and distinguishes Soldiers from the other services, presents a uniform front to the community, Russo said.
"We place a pretty big emphasis on Soldiers when they don their beret for the first time: 'These men have earned the title Soldier and are authorized to wear the black beret,'" he said. "It's a uniform item that's so distinctive to us. It should be worn and shown as a mark of a Soldier. We're Soldiers all the time, not just 9 to 5. We want to present Soldiers in a better way when they're leaving work."
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