[url]http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/05/01/army.berets/index.html[/url]


WASHINGTON -- A flap over the Army's plan to buy more than 600,000 black berets with "made in China" labels has been put to rest by the Pentagon's number two civilian leader.

 
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz Tuesday said the berets won't be made in Communist China. The announcement drove a stake through the heart of a plan by Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki to distribute 1.4 million black berets to soldiers by June 14, which is the Army's birthday.

"The Army Chief of Staff has determined that U.S. troops shall not wear berets made in China, or berets made with Chinese content," the statement says.

"I direct the Army and the Defense Logistics Agency to take appropriate action to recall previously distributed berets and dispose of the stock" already purchased, Wolfowitz statement said.

The blunt death blow to the controversial decision to buy the Chinese-made berets will lay to rest a sore point with conservatives in Congress.

Soldiers will still wear the black berets, which were until now the exclusive domain of the Army's elite Ranger units, but berets made in Communist China will be excluded from the purchasing program.

Once again typical, the USGOV destroys something they just bought.
How much do pre-ban ChiCom berets go for anyway these days?
It would be nice if the other branches would respect the Ranger units by not wearing the black berets
Also berets are worn by the French and they haven't beat anyone in a long time. Pretty useless headgear anyway.

CNN says the "flap is over?"  Yeh, they wish!  The flap won't be over till the policy is changed and Shinsuckee shown the door!

DaMan

Instead of China, they'll probably be made in Sri Lanka or Mexico now. Or any $0.35 a hour country.

while i am in the army i personally think the army should dtick with bdu caps. the barets are saposed to be hard earned badges of honor. and the average grunt hasnt earned it.