"Earning it: A complete history of Army berets and..." Topic

… who's allowed to wear them.

"It's official: Seventeen years after adding another color to its array of distinctive headgear, the Army is getting another beret.

And, this time, the outcry came fast and hard.

Earlier this year, the Army began standing up a new organization devoted solely to training, advising and assisting the conventional forces of foreign partner nations. As the first class finished their stint at the Military Adviser Training Academy, word got around that soldiers in these new Security Force Assistance Brigades would be unlike most others — because they'd be getting a distinctive colored beret…"
Main page

link

Amicalement
Armand

I was in the field artillery and we were allowed to wear a red beret. I bought one and wore it but the Bn Commander said everyone would have to buy one or else we couldn't wear it. Since there are those who wouldn't buy it we couldn't wear it.
Oh Well :(

Beret's lost their distinctive meaning when they allowed anyone assigned to a Special Forces Group (like support personnel) to wear the coveted green beret. The powers that be at the time said that the tab on the shoulder was the distinctive discriminator. Too many puffy mushrooms and floppy ones that hang down to the bottom of the ear now days to make them look stupid.

Yeah, I always thought that was a dumb idea. Issuing Berets to everyone in the US ARMY. Let alone Green Berets to those who were not qualified but only assigned to an SF unit.

And yeah those that are qualified should get the tab too. Just like in Ranger Bns. If you pass the either course [easier said than done !] you earn the tab.

Of course when not serving in a Ranger of SF unit. You can still wear the Tab(s), obviously. Just like with Jump, Air Assault, etc., wings.