OldGreyEagle Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1_3angels.6416221may20,0,5765985.story Remember the beloved Red Berets? I do , I was a scout in the late 60's early 70's, or as I explain to the scouts in the troop I serve, after Brownsea island but before the demise of the red berets and this is the guy who killed them. Curtis Sliwa. Sliwa's vigilante group, known as the "Guardian Angels" were identified by a red beret, remarkably similar to the BSA boy scout red beret. Scouts quit wearing them so as not to be mistaken as a red beret wearing Guardian Angel, lets just say the BSA and the Guardian Angels have differing missions I cant get the link to work, copy and paste in your browser (This message has been edited by oldgreyeagle) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevorum Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Scouts stopped wearing berets because they were fruity looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Winger Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Maybe if BSA had just borrowed a military beret instead of designing their own which few wore properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Not everyone can wear a beret and make it work. It takes a certain je ne sais quoi, panache, or style much like with the knee socks and shorts. One does have to take care an wear a properly sized beret least one end up looking like Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline but thats just the kind of fashion risk I am willing to take, and carry off quite well I will have you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokala Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I seriously doubt that kids in 2008 would put on a beret, even if it was official uniform. Beret's aren't exactly "cool" any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Winger Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Let's see . . . Rangers wear them, Airborne wears them, Air Force Security guys wear them, the entire Army wears them. Nah, no cool there at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutldr Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Berets only look good with a military style "high and tight" haircut. The hairstyles of today are the same as they were in 1973 (i.e., "unkempt mop")...hence the dorky appearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevorum Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I could never figure out the POINT of wearing a beret. It doesn't keep the sun out of your eyes nor off your neck on a sunny day and it only protects the very top of your head on a wet day. Not good field gear. I think that the red beret was the ill-advised "cherry on the top" of the French-designed parlor-uniform from which we're now finally moving away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Sorry no, A well fitted beret on someone walking and looking sharp is an iconic image Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevorum Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 You go ahead and look sharp and iconic. I'd rather keep the sun out of my eyes and the rain off my neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisabob Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 My son's troop wears berets (green, embroidered with Troop #) There is a definite cache attached to them! When we have new boys join, the first thing they want is that beret. When we go to summer camp the berets become a hot commodity for trading. If I hadn't seen it myself I would not believe it. But we've got 50 boys and they all proudly wear their berets. On the flip side, a wool beret on a hot summer day is not always nice. They don't provide any shade. And you do have to shape them or else they tend to look goofy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Fashion is not for the weak or faint of heart. I think Tim Gunn said that. Even steak can be ruined if not prepared correctly, consider the beret the same way. Properly trained there is nothing cooler than the beret, as Lisabob has so adroitly illustrated. BTW Lisabob, make sure you give the youth in the troop you serve two HUGE thumbs up for having the style and panache to pull off the beret. Few of us can do it, but we are the elite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fgoodwin Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 "Elite"?? OMG, don't let "you-know-who" know you said that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GernBlansten Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Two words. Monica Lewinski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevorum Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 As I said, you go be fashionable (I'm quite sure you're fabulously dashing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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