The beret is a very characteristic garment
A beret is a flat cap that lacks a visor . The usual thing is that it is developed in a single piece.
Head covering
It is important to indicate that caps, including berets, are garments that allow head coverage. The brim found on the front of some caps to protect the face is called a visor .
As we indicated above, berets are caps that do not have a visor. They also do not have ear flaps : that is, they only cover the top of the head .
The berets fit the skull through their edges. In this way they serve as a shelter , preventing heat loss.
Traditions and customs
There are various traditions and customs associated with berets. In regions of Spain , France and Scotland , for example, berets are part of popular clothing . Sometimes berets are linked to rural areas or old age .
The Galician beret , to mention one model, became popular around the 1930s . The Basque beret is usually worn at certain social and cultural events.
In several countries , meanwhile, the beret is part of the military uniform . Mentioned as a green beret , in this framework, is the member of certain units that wear this type of cap (such as the members of the Special Operations Groups of the Spanish Army or the Special Forces of the US Army ).
Berets also became symbols of different groups and movements. The socialist guerrillas and the Parisian bohemia , to name two cases, have the beret among their icons or emblems.
American Green Berets
In the United States, their military unit officially called the Special Forces Army is also known in everyday speech as Green Berets . Its creation dates back to 1952, and was led by Aaron Bank , a colonel who was inspired by the Special Air Service of the British Army, since he limited it to groups of a maximum of five people, all with a well-defined specialization, such as broadcasting, mastery of foreign languages, first aid services, handling of explosives or demolition tasks. Additionally, their ranks cannot be lower than sergeant.
The actions of the Green Berets are not few, although in general they are dedicated to the practices and techniques of detection and destruction of insurgent groups (what is known as counterinsurgency ) and the preparation of local inhabitants to join them. on the battlefield. It is also important to mention that these soldiers receive training in the use of weapons of various calibers, in executing ambushes, in the use of parachutes and in the manipulation of artillery pieces, among other fields.
Some Special Forces units are distinguished by the color of their berets.
Russian red beret
In the Russian Army there are also Special Forces, and their members are known as Red Berets . Being part of them is not easy, but is the result of a series of very demanding tests . Participants who aspire to become a Red Beret must overcome the following challenges, among others: advance along very arid roads, enduring extreme temperatures, for more than ten kilometers; diving in extremely cold waters; perform difficult stunts; assault very tall buildings; fight using martial arts.
Put another way, one need only see a Russian soldier wearing a red beret to assume that he is a prominent member of the military, who has undergone considerable training. The idea of obtaining the most suitable to be part of the Special Forces through such a demanding filter belongs to Sergei Lisiuk , who also carefully promoted it so that it became a reality and his country could have an elite division worthy of I respect.