The Rangers have always managed to hold themselves to a higher standard than the rest of the Army. The black beret is something every Ranger has to earn the right to wear. Being a Ranger is considered by them to be a way of life. The Ranger lives by the creed. The creed is law for the Ranger.

This article states that the Special Operations Command is eager to see how this policy will be implemented. Maybe the command is, but no one has talked to the Rangers in the Battalions who live the standard every day, and loyally follow the orders given to them. If anyone bothered to ask, they would find out that the Rangers want to keep their beret. They built the history around it with their toil and risk. They made it a worthy goal for young men to strive for. The Rangers in the Ranger Regiment give the black beret meaning. They represent the Army as it should be. They have always been proud to achieve more and to focus on simply being great soldiers. The black beret belongs to the Rangers.

The Rangers are an easy target because they won't officially protest, there are less than a couple thousand of them, and they are excellent soldiers. They are the grunts, the simple ground pounders, and they think on simple terms. They just want to fight and defeat the enemies of our country. The politics of the Army have never been a concern Rangers, so we can safely sacrifice them, tear them down and slowly drag them down to the level of the rest of the Army.

Giving the entire Army the Rangers black beret will never make them achieve on the same level as the Rangers. It will begin the process of tearing down the Rangers.

I am the wife of a Ranger. The Battalion shaped my husband into the man he is today. Give the Army gray or brown, but do not give them the Rangers black.

Joanne Miller, Ranger Wife