Soldiers Rebel Against Loss of Cherished Beret

[Danjanou]

As our British cousins say "time to fire up the outrage bus"

Soldiers Rebel Against Loss of Cherished Beret
Dan Oakes Defence Correspondent Sydney Morning Herald
August 20, 2010


http://www.smh.com.au/national/soldiers-rebel-against-loss-of-cherished-beret-20100819-12s4b.html


(reproduced with the usual caveats yada yada)

 

[Old Sweat]

A classic application of the "if it ain't broke, break it" principle.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Or the "someone seeking annual assessment points for initiating change (even if the change isn't needed)" principle.

 

[OldSolduer]

Or the "someone seeking annual assessment points for initiating change (even if the change isn't needed)" principle.

More likely someone has a bug in his rear from an issue that should have been forgotten about.  Most likely he was made to wear a beret in is younger years, or has not had good experiences with units
that wear berets, therefore, they WILL conform.
Or he's just a Kay En Oh Bee

 

[Newt]

Careful that no one in NDHQ gets wind of this or we could see CF berets replaced by distinctive Canadian head dress: the tuque.

Units previously issued tam o' shanters or balmorals will receive tuque, pom pom; French-Canadian units will receive cap, phrygian, red.

 

[medicineman]

A classic application of the "if it ain't broke, break it" principle.

Or the "If it makes sense, do the opposite" principle.

MM

 

[danchapps]

I think I would be embarrassed as all hell if I had to have the floppy hat as part of my dress of the day.

 

[SeanNewman]

Wow, when I first started reading the article I was thinking that soldiers in the field were banned from wearing their berets, but does "dress of the day" not include just walking to work in a garrison environment?

It's one thing to be in actual combat wearing a maroon beret might betray your camouflage or a black/green beret when a helmet could save your life, but it's quite another to take away berets as part of work dress.

 

[Trooper Hale]

I realise this is old news but its still fresh here.
To clear up a hugely important point, while the beret has been cruelly stripped away from us we don't wear bush hats to work instead. We still have our Slouch hats (Royal Australian Armoured Corps chaps still wear our emu plumes) which are obviously preferred by our Infantry RSM-A and Chief Of Army.

The Black Beret is still part of the dress to be worn on ceremonial occasion's (for the School Of Armours 70Th birthday last month we wore them). However, the blue and rifle green beret's have been removed from ASOD's (Army Standing Orders Dress).

The theory was that wearing a beret would lead to getting skin cancer. No proof was provided, no studies linking cancer with wearing beret's and the whole thing reeks of a personal vendetta by the RSM-A against something he personally doesn't like. Its either that or a sickening case of OH&S taking precedence over pride, history and esprit de corp.
The fight goes on to bring them back as dress of the day. This issue remains huge and is still one of the most passionate gripes you'll hear from soldiers about the Army despite it being a year old.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Good Luck.  If the Diggers keep kicking up a fuss I am sure that the Red Tabs will relent.

 

[downunder]

it took the CF 20 odd years to get the distinctive environmental uniform (aka Blue for air force, Blck & white for Navy, and tan & green for army) after unification.  a solider's memory is long.

 

[ArmyRick]

Come on now! Re-inventing the wheel can be so much fun.

2011; Aussies lose their beret (Pte Aussie-Bloggins not happy about losing his hard earned and well deserved beret)

2041; WO1 Aussie-Bloggins is now RSM of the Army Down Under and re-enstates the beret

You guys should save your selves the trouble and not ditch the beret, but I do realize its not a lower end decision. Sorry you guys are going through such fookery.

 

[Pusser]

it took the CF 20 odd years to get the distinctive environmental uniform (aka Blue for air force, Blck & white for Navy, and tan & green for army) after unification.  a solider's memory is long.

Small point:  naval uniforms are "navy blue."  They are NOT black (I don't care what some uneducated staff weenie put in a book somewhere).  The navy uniform of today is exactly the same colour as the one worn by the RCN prior to 1968 and I defy anyone to find anything publication that would describe that uniform as black.

Sorry for ranting off topic.

I agree that taking the beret away from the Australian Army was foolish.  It's a smart looking item that has its place and I would argue that it is more appropriate than other hats in given situations.

 

[Michael OLeary]

I wonder what the reactions were when some of these same units were being ordered to shelve their slouch hats for berets. Many promote change that they want, but not everyone enjoys being subjected to change.

http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/slouch/army.asp

After the Second World War there were minor changes to the hat and its continued suitability was questioned, but the slouch style was too deeply entrenched to be replaced.

Facebook - AUSTRALIAN'S AGAINST ARMY SLOUCH HATS BEING MADE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=75127450228

 

[CombatDoc]

Small point:  naval uniforms are "navy blue."  They are NOT black (I don't care what some uneducated staff weenie put in a book somewhere).  The navy uniform of today is exactly the same colour as the one worn by the RCN prior to 1968 and I defy anyone to find anything publication that would describe that uniform as black.

Sorry for ranting off topic.

Pusser, this is somewhat peripheral to the topic at hand but I have to disagree.  Although I could be colour-blind in the blue-black part of the visual spectrum, my DEU's certainly look black to my eyes.  My beret is definitely black.  Similarly, the new NCDs look black (although they may fade to that wierd green colour of the old NCDs after repeated laundering).  While we may wish to call the colour black "navy blue", they don't call them "salt and peppers" for nothing.  ;D

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. 

 

[Trooper Hale]

I wonder what the reactions were when some of these same units were being ordered to shelve their slouch hats for berets. Many promote change that they want, but not everyone enjoys being subjected to change.

http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/slouch/army.asp

At no time did Armoured unit's "shelve" their slouch hats though. For us, the beret was always garrison dress and we would wear slouch hat with plumes on parade. From 2007 till last year or so, 2/14 Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) would wear beret's monday to wednesday and slouch hats for "dress thursday" and friday.
A beret is a smart, functional item that surpasses the slouch hat in convenience and some would argue, looks. One of my favourite Army photos is of my old Sqn on the docks in Townsville, waiting to board a ship back to Brisbane and every single bloke has their beret on despite having been out bush for the past 6 weeks. That sort of thing is impossible with a slouch hat. You simple cant stow it in your pack without destrying it.
Like you say, people dislike change. We dislike change even more when we're lied to about the reasons for that change.

 

[Blackadder1916]

I accept that the title of this thread was simply a repetition of the title of the article linked in the opening post, however nowhere in that piece (from nearly eight months ago) does the author provide examples of Aussie soldiers "rebelling".  They probably, in general, dislike this change in dress policy.  They may complain, express dissatisfaction, accuse, grieve, moan, groan, b*tch, whine, mutter and grumble and probably more than a few will have sworn and cursed.  One or two may have written to their Member of Parliament.  But that is not rebellion, which would only be mainfested by refusal to follow this order.

Has there been any cases of Diggers continuing to wear their berets?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I accept that the title of this thread was simply a repetition of the title of the article linked in the opening post, however nowhere in that piece (from nearly eight months ago) does the author provide examples of Aussie soldiers "rebelling".  They probably, in general, dislike this change in dress policy.  They may complain, express dissatisfaction, accuse, grieve, moan, groan, b*tch, whine, mutter and grumble and probably more than a few will have sworn and cursed.  One or two may have written to their Member of Parliament.  But that is not rebellion, which would only be mainfested by refusal to follow this order.

Has there been any cases of Diggers continuing to wear their berets?

Mutiny is spelled the same in all Commonwealth Forces, right?  We all have procedures for 'Grievance'.

 

[Trooper Hale]

At the School Of Armour in Puckapunyal, the spiritual home of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, the CO had the men wear their black beret's for a full month until he was personally told by the Chief Of Army that the ban included him and the School.
In today's Army, I reckon having a CO do that is as close to mutiny as we get.