• In June 14th of 2001, the US Army switched their regulation head gear from the BDU patrol cap to the black beret with a unit or service specific flash. Originally, berets were specific to branches within the army, such as Special Forces (green), Rangers (black) and Airborne troops (maroon). The first black berets in US service, however, were worn by Armor troopers, as the brimless design allowed them to use range finding gear without removing it, and it was black to conceal oil and grease stains. According to then Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki, the switch to the beret indicates that the entire US Army had met a standard of excellence that previously had only been matched by elite troops.
  
  

Size and Shape

• The beret flash is escutcheon (or shield shaped), is 2.25 inches tall by 1 inch wide, and is fastened to a thicker piece of fabric over a stiffener sewn into the front of the beret's fabric. It must be sewn on directly. The US Army as a whole has a beret flash that is light blue with thirteen stars around the outer edge, and in the absence of unit specific flashes, most soldiers will wear this flash. Officers wear rank insignia in the center of the beret; in the field, this insignia is made of dark, non-reflective material.
  
  

Wear and Use

• When worn, the beret must have its hemline (bottom edge) 1 inch above the eyebrows, and level. The flash is centered over the left eye, and the right side of the beret is tugged over to cover the top of the right ear. When wearing it, the standard technique to test the position is to put the palm of the left hand on the left cheek bone and cover the left eye, while feeling for the beret flash with the fingertips to ensure correct alignment.
  
  

Unit Specific Flashes

• Most units in the Army make beret flashes with their own unique insignia (called heraldry), where each design has an emblem or pattern of colors in the beret. There are literally hundreds of these flashes, some of them quite famous. For example, the Third Armored Cavalry division has a flash that has a gold background with a black horse-head insignia; this is the same insignia shown on the lighter held by Clint Eastwood's character in the movie "Gran Torino."