Army berets

"B’eret" is a French word that referred to the hat of Pyrenean shepherds living in the border region between France and Spain. It was a practical hat because it protected the head against cold winds blowing from the mountain area. People in the Basque region usually wear berets and prefers those colored black. Many Basque youths wearing berets serve food at restaurants with the Basque flag in Europe.

The beret became a fashion statement for fashionistas. Germany composer Richard Wagner, who enjoyed rock star status in the late 19th century and had many scandals with women, was known for his portrait with a beret. Actress Faye Dunaway, who played Bonnie in the 1968 classic film “Bonnie and Clyde,” started the fashion fad of the "bonnie look" with a middle-length skirt and a beret. Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara wearing a black beret with a red star on it symbolized the Latin American revolution.

The green beret represents special forces in the U.K. and the U.S. British forces that finished special training wore green berets in World War II. American forces who operated with their British counterparts started wearing berets in violation of military rules probably because the hats looked nice to them. In 1961, American forces were belatedly allowed to wear berets by President John F. Kennedy. Korean special forces wear black berets and U.N. peacekeepers blue ones.

The Army`s entire force of 520,000 personnel are supposed to wear berets instead of combat headgear from Armed Forces Day on Oct. 1, but the plan might not work. More than 400,000 berets cannot be supplied by the deadline because of flawed supply contracts. This shows the problems of Korea`s military operations. The Army said at the end of last year that it would introduce berets to replace cap-like combat headgear, saying, “Berets give a strong impression and a wide vision.” The color will be dark green to differentiate the berets from the black berets of special forces. Hopefully, the Army`s combat power will rise to the level of special forces after they change their hats.

Editorial Writer Song Pyeong-in (pisong@donga.com)