Those red berets

[schleining]

Glad they are not available anymore through the Scout Shop.

I wore one in my Troop as a youngster.. we only wore them for COH's etc, wore the Baseball type hat camping and pretty much all the rest of the time.

 

The beret is a dumb idea. Not practical and unless worn right (define right).. the wearer looks as stated before a "dork".

 

I have worn berets for the Army for the last 21 years.. again very "High speed" looking when I was with the Rangers and wore a High and tight hair style.

Once you put hair under it, the beret "Sits" on the head like a dead cat.

 

Our Troop has had our own hats made. They are baseball style and look great. They are practical,l comfortable, and stylish. That and they can be made for 5 bucks a piece. All the boys (and leaders) have at least two.. one for camping and one for "Formal" wear.

 

In short... DING DONG THE BERET IS DEAD.. THE BERET IS DEAD... THE BERET IS DEAD.

 

Jerry

[Trevorum]

scottahicks said, "I indend to become a scoutmaster again and have his troop wear the berets".

 

Assuming, of course, that's what the scouts want, and it's voted by the PLC. You wouldn't make a fiat like that when the boys are running the troop!

[OldGreyEagle]

Actually not everyone can wear a red beret with the panache and self confidence one needs to pull it off. those who can't wear one, shouldnt and leave wearing them to those of us with the requisite sense of style

[schleining]

AMEN-

VIVA LA BASEBALL HAT!

 

Jerry

[starwolfmom]

Actually, Troop 111 in Lansing, MI, wears the red berets during our summer service tour at Mackinac Island. The only time the boys (who include boys from other troops who join our fellows to make up the service contingent of 54) wear the berets is up at Mackinac, where they serve as the Governor's Honor Guard for a week.

 

I have no idea where we get the berets from, but I think they look really sharp.

 

Elizabeth

[Gurnee Bruce]

I don't know what sparked this conversation but I do fondly remember the berets. In my troop the envelope hat was all we had up to that point - even the berets offered more protection and they did look really cool (of course they didn't slip under the web belt as nicely).

 

At the '74 Jamboree (only one I've been to) we went to see Bob Hope and the audience was nothing but a vast sea of red - awesome.

 

But I don't miss the sock garters.

 

Side note - last summer my son went to Jambo and came back with a 1974 walking-stick medallion for me. Every now and then they can really surprise you! Now I need a walking-stick...

 

 

[jr56]

I could never get into the red berets. I am too traditional, I wear the original good old campaign hat.

[myers7pb]

Our Troop awards the Red Beret to Scouts along with their 1st class badge, only those first class or above are allowed to wear them. They are not the old BSA issue, but from a private supplier one of the old scoutmasters found. I join the others in wishing there was a 'chapter 7' in the scout handbook instructing the youth in the proper shaping/ wearing of this item though.

[captainron14]

Yeh, I remember wearing the beret. You are so right, with long hair it looked very stupid. Then you had the kids who "marched to a different drummer" when wearing their beret and it looked like a "red mushroom" on their head.

Glad to see it's gone.

But wait, Scouting uniforms NEVER go away.

At our last Troop meeting a committee member (and parent) shows up wearing his RED Beret. The same one he had as a Scout! He was also wearing his old olive green uniform (with no collar) and full size necker (no Shorts though).

We once had a visitor to an Eagle Court who was wearing his old wool dress uniform with collar devices and everything. He was once a DE back in the early 50's. Very cool.

 

On another note, YAK change your profile your not in Gilroy anymore!)

 

YIS

 

Ron

 

 

[ozemu]

What's wrong with shorts?

[Kahuna]

Those old dress uniforms with the collar insignia were a very cool uniform. Always thought it was a mistake to do away with it when they went to the Hart Schafner Marx monstrosity.

 

I went to camp about 15 years ago with a group from another council. One of their ASMs, who was probably in his late forties, put on his old Explorer uniform: green pants and shirt, brown tie, green overseas cap. He had the whole uniform from his teenage days and could still get into it.

[OzarksOsage]

Back in the day when I was a Scout, the only guys in my troop who looked like dorks wearing red berets were same ones who looked like dorks with or without the beret, in or out of uniform. Next to the campaign hat, which is the all-time classic, the red beret is the best looking piece of headgear the BSA ever came up with. While I'm sharing my opinions: The current shorts are far too long, and we need to bring back the solid-color knee socks and the garters with colored tabs! 8-)>

 

Ozarks Osage

[John-in-KC]

I have to agree with Jerry Schleining, having worn the Army black beret after General Shinseki (an Armor officer) and Secretary White (an Armor officer) forced them on the Army.

 

Berets are completely impractical for field wear.

 

Boonie hats and baseball caps rock.

 

In short... DING DONG THE BERET IS DEAD.. THE BERET IS DEAD... THE BERET IS DEAD.

[OldGreyEagle]

Loved the beret

[IN scouter]

My troop also wore the beret in the early 80's, along with the change to the tan shirts. All of us who wore the beret seem to agree, impractical field hat but an impressive part of the dress uniform for ceremonies.

My troop would send 35-40 Scouts to summer camp every year. For flag lowering, we would stand on one side of the parade field and the rest of camp on the other. We were always nicknamed "the Xerox troop" because we went to flags in full dress unis; shirt, shorts/pants,berets, socks and dark leather shoes/boots. It was like looking at a pro football team across from a sandlot team. Striped tube socks, cut-off shorts, miscellaneous t-shirts, some pieces of a Scout uniform here and there. Not all of our Scouts were from wealthy families, but we had escrow accounts to pay dues, camps, and anything Scout related, and we were very active in our fundraisers, so that eased the financial burden. It was never said we HAD to be in uniform for den/troop activities, but it just always was done that way. I wish the troop our pack feeds into was a little more formal on the uniforms. No neckerchiefs at troop, and a lot of jeans and sneakers.

It was a shock to my system when my troop sent a crew to Summers Canoe Base in Ely, MN (Northern Tier, now) when we wore our kerchiefs under our collars and baseball hats instead of berets.

As a side note about the uniform that is probably for another thread, it's been 25 years since the last update to the uniform, why not use new moisture-wicking materials and such?