In 1953 the green beret was adopted as the unofficial headgear for a Special Forces A-Team. The unit wore it whenever they went to the field for prolonged exercises. Soon it spread throughout all of Special Forces, although the Army refused to authorize its official use.
Finally, in 1961, President Kennedy planned to visit Fort Bragg. He sent word to the Special Warfare Center commander, for all Special Forces soldiers to wear their berets for the event. President Kennedy felt that since they had a special mission, Special Forces should have something to set them apart from the rest. At about the same time the Army had teletyped a message to the Center authorizing the beret as a part of the Special Forces uniform.
Throughout the remainder of the 1950s and early 1960s, the number of Special Forces military advisors in Vietnam increased steadily. Their responsibility was to train South Vietnamese soldiers in the art of counterinsurgency and to mold various native tribes into a credible, anti-communist threat. During the early years, elements from the different Special Forces groups were involved in advising the South Vietnamese. But in September 1964, the first step was taken in making Vietnam the exclusive operational province of 5th SF Group when it set up its provisional headquarters in Nha Trang. Six months later in February, Nha Trang became the 5th's permanent headquarters. In 1971 the 5th SFG returned to the U.S.
Emblazoned on the distinctive black and silver crest worn by Special Forces soldiers is the Special Forces motto, "De Oppresso Liber", a Latin phrase that means "To Liberate the Oppressed." Two crossed arrows symbolize the Special Forces' role in unconventional warfare and the expert fieldcraft of the Native American brave. A commando's fighting knife is attached over the arrows, which reflect the qualities of a Special Forces soldier - straight and true, and pays homage to their W.W.II Commando lineage |
