Item

A U.S. Army black wool beret with the standard U.S. Army blue beret flash, U.S.-made and dated to 2015. The interior maker's label reads "WOOL, BERET, SIZE 7 1/8, 100% WOOL," NSN 8405-01-088-7812, maker Jensen Apparel (RN 87677), contract SPE1C1-15D-1071, Made in USA, and it carries the woven Defense Logistics Agency "Garrison Collection" label inside. It has the leather sweatband binding and the adjustable draw cords at the back.

The "15" in the contract number is the federal fiscal year the contract was let, which dates manufacture to 2015. The beret is in nice condition with only light lint and fuzzing to the wool and normal handling wear. The blue flash is machine sewn to the stiffener in the correct position above the left eye.

Design

The flash is the key to reading a beret. This one is the standard U.S. Army flash, an ultramarine blue shield bordered with a ring of small white stars, with a plain blue center shield. It is the generic flash worn by soldiers who are not assigned to a unit authorized its own distinctive flash, so it identifies the beret as standard Army issue rather than a specific regiment or command. The blank blue center is where a soldier would pin a Distinctive Unit Insignia crest, or an officer his rank, neither of which is present here. The 100% wool body, leather binding, and rear draw cords are the standard features of the regulation beret.

History

The black beret became the everyday headgear of the entire U.S. Army on June 14, 2001, the Army's 226th birthday, when the Chief of Staff directed that all soldiers adopt it, a decision that famously pushed the Rangers to their now iconic tan beret. The Army wore it everyday through the height of the Global War on Terror until 2011, when the patrol cap took over for utility wear and the beret was kept for the service and dress uniform. Made in 2015, this example comes from that later period, when the black beret was worn with the Army Service Uniform. A U.S.-made, properly flashed and clearly dated example like this is a clean, affordable, and instantly recognizable piece of the modern Army.

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