You have probably heard the mention of maroon berets more than once, but there are also green military berets. And to some extent, they are no less important than, say, maroon hats. About the meaning of green berets, their use and history - in this article.
American army elite
The most famous Green Berets are the United States Army Special Forces.
Special Forces troops are actively used abroad in eight designated areas. The main goals and objectives that are set for the soldiers of these units are as follows:
- strategic intelligence;
- organization and management of partisan actions;
- real raid operations in military conditions;
- helping foreign countries secure their own.
One of the main characteristics of each of the "Green Beret" special forces groups is a special regional orientation. Let's write down the most important of them:
- Asia-Pacific region assigned to the first group.
- Africa(excluding Kenya, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia) is supervised by the third group.
- Near and Middle East - the orientation of the fifth group, this part of the troops also includes African countries not covered by the third group, namely: Kenya, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia.
- Central and South America - the scope of the seventh group.
- The European zone is defined for the tenth group.
It is very interesting that the so-called depth (depth) of the tasks of any of the groups is actually not limited (with the exception of some special moments) and is almost completely determined by the orders of command instances, to which this or that group is directly subordinate and in whose interests it is used. Another factor in determining the depth of tasks is purely technical: the possibilities of transport and means of communication.
The total number of each Special Forces group is approximately 1400 fighters. From the composition of the unit, as a rule, up to fifty-four operational detachments of twelve people each can be allocated.
The history of the formation of the "green" US special forces
The command was officially established in the fall of 1990, namely on November 27th. According to the Pentagon leaders, "green berets" are the pride of the US Army. This is the most well-trained contingent with a high level of training. Quite expectedly, Special Forces are recognized by the elite of the American army.
The beginning of this kind of troops was laid in the middle of the eighteenth century, during the Anglo-French wars. They were established as a reward for the capture of the Frenchterritories on the continent of North America. These units were first named after the starting commander Robert Rogers, who has the rank of major. Accordingly, earlier "green berets" were widely known as glorious rangers. From English ranger is translated as a saboteur-scout of the corresponding group. Rogers taught the soldiers of his troops that they must by all means "move quickly and be crushing." Further, in the next period, in fact, the birth took place, and after the final formation of the Special Forces troops in the United States.
The White House in a special memorandum offered its own interpretation of the concept of "green beret". From the point of view of the American government, it is a symbol of direct superiority, a sign of courage and a special symbol of direct participation in the struggle for freedom.
Psychological preparation
"Green Berets" in the US are also distinguished by a certain way of psychological preparation of fighters. The ideas of the superiority of their kind of troops, chosenness and uniqueness, as well as absolute confidence in themselves and in the correctness of what they are doing, are laid in the heads of men. Fighters, among other things, are taught to take pride in their military units. All this is laid down in the foundations of the course of psychological training of soldiers. In order for these ideas to be potentially realizable, in addition to everything else, special attention is paid to the history and traditions of the "green berets" of the special forces in the troops of the Special Forces.
Decals
How is a soldier of the elite of American military units distinguished from representatives of other types of troops (unless, of course, he is wearing the famous green beret)? It's very simple: it's all about the patch on the sleeve, which is made in the shape of an Indian arrowhead, the detail itself has a dark blue color. The patch is nothing more than a symbol of both ste alth and bravery. Such a conclusion can be drawn from the shape of the badge: these are the qualities natural Indians possessed. Another important and interesting detail is the golden dagger, taken with the point up. The dagger says that "green tickets" are designed to constantly solve non-traditional tasks in battle. The blade of the depicted melee weapon is pierced with three golden lightning bolts. They confirm speed, strength, define three ways to approach enemy units (land, sea, air).
However, do not confuse the patch with the emblem. The emblem of the Special Forces of the States is a black coat of arms with silver elements, equipped with the Latin inscription De oppresso liber (in translation, this name sounds like "For the freedom of the oppressed"). An unconventional (for example, civil) war and their role in this event is symbolized by two crossed arrows.
Special Forces Oath
Separately worth mentioning the code of the special forces (otherwise it can be called a true oath), which contains the main principles of morality, political attitudes and so on. Here is an excerpt from the oath of a soldier of the Special Forces unit:
I am an American soldierspecial forces! Professional! I will do whatever my nation requires of me. I am a volunteer, well aware of the risks of my profession.
I am a professional soldier. I will fight whenever it is necessary to free the oppressed.
I will never let down those I serve with. I will not bring shame on myself or my troops.
I will keep myself, my weapons and property in immaculate condition, as befits a soldier of the special forces.
The experience of past years and today's reality clearly demonstrate that the "green berets" are truly an integral element of the United States military machine. With their active actions, the special forces of the ground forces are able to have a serious impact on the military, and, accordingly, the political situation in various world regions.
Selection of candidates
Everyone is well aware of the army song "Mercenary", in which there is only one explanation for the trials that befell the soldiers: "After all, you are a mercenary in a green beret." And how to become a fighter of the United States army? What are the requirements for passing the green beret? Or maybe the green berets should sing songs?
First of all, let's designate the characteristics and merits that a candidate for Special Forces must possess (all of them are necessarily reflected in the personal file of a potential soldier).
- Good education and extensive knowledge in the fields of physics, history, foreign languages, political science, geometry, economics and evenagriculture.
- Excellent physical shape and easy tolerance of serious physical activities.
- Sufficiently developed willpower.
- The ability to self-control and responsible attitude to the service.
- Tolerance towards different cultures, nationalities and religions.
- Strong character and resilience.
- Discretion and self-control.
- Determination.
- Communication.
And it is not enough to show all these qualities periodically. It is necessary that they be demonstrated daily and everywhere, being the actual and real essence of the Green Beret candidate.
Do you think this long list of your characteristics will be enough? Of course not. Just imagine, they are not enough even for you to become a candidate for a qualification course. Before you have to step over a few more steps.
Basic course
The first thing a potential "Green Beret mercenary" should do is complete a basic soldier training course. It includes mandatory for any military knowledge and skills. Moreover, "basic" means initial, right down to who and how to salute and how to march. Also such undeniably necessary skills as shooting from a rifle, providing first aid in accordance with all the rules, using a gas mask, examining the air for radioactivity and contamination with substances hazardous to human he alth, and at the same time a course in tacticsfighting with one soldier. The basic course lasts 2-3 months.
Special course
The next step is the proper mastering of the military speci alty. Moreover, at this stage, there is already a separation of candidates from the standpoint of what role they are applying for: an infantryman, a sapper, a signalman, a medical worker, an artilleryman, and so on. The special course lasts 2-4 months (depending on the required amount of acquired skills).
Paratroop training
The third step, within which the cadets spend a month practicing ground training using specialized simulators. The course trains separation from the aircraft, handling a parachute and behavior in the air. After these skills are mastered, the cadets begin to jump with a parachute. During the final week of the airborne school, candidates make five jumps from military transport aircraft.
Qualification course
Finally we have reached the qualification course. For its passage, as a rule, approximately 350 candidates are recruited. The rest either remain in other branches of the military (Air Force, Navy and others), or are eliminated.
The Q-Course (another name for the Qualification Course) consists of six phases:
- evaluation of candidates and their selection (2 months);
- tactical work in small groups (similarly - 2 months);
- specialization (duration increases by 30 days - 3 months);
- language training (again 2 months, or 8 weeks);
- guerrilla actionand their development (1 month, or 4 weeks);
- official entry into the Green Beret camp (1 week).
Later, a school of survival, a course of evasion from combat, as well as courses of necessary resistance and, finally, escape from captivity were added to the starting stage of the qualification course. Work with hostages and, in fact, the hostage course (based on the government program) were also integrated.
Green Berets in Russia
That's right. Not only the United States is famous for the "green berets". There are also troops in Russia that have the exclusive right to wear this headdress. Only now, special forces soldiers who have distinguished themselves with special courage and valor in our country are awarded with a maroon beret known to everyone. This, if you like, is the Russian elite of the Special Forces.
Determining the type of troops by an exceptional headgear (or rather, its color) is generally widespread in the Russian Federation. So, for example, blue berets are supposed to be worn by landing troops, black ones are for the marines, and you will see orange ones on representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The green beret is chosen for reconnaissance and border units.
Green Beret status in Russia
As mentioned above, wearing a maroon beret is considered the most honorable in Russia, however, the green hats of the military are not deprived of honor in our country. They are also intended for elite units. In the green beret you can see representatives of the highest echelon of military intelligence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Headdress of suchthe colors are also worn by soldiers of special border military units, namely airborne assault and reconnaissance units, sabotage and airborne troops. The soldiers of these units, as a rule, are given the most difficult and dangerous tasks. They are located on particularly difficult sections of the Russian border, usually in a southerly direction, next to Asian countries.
Shades of green in Russian troops
Separately, it is worth mentioning the shades of green fabric, applicable for sewing hats of different types of troops. The introduction of tint dyeing of the gentle fabric was proposed in order to avoid confusion between different army units. The green beret of the border guard has a non-spruce warm, light emerald cold color. The green color of intelligence, in turn, is presented in a classic (warm) version.
The meaning of the green color of the military
Today, border guards are definitely proud of themselves if they have received the right to legally wear a green intelligence beret. In modern conditions, in the internal troops of Russia, this headdress, as an element of a military uniform, is located on the same level of prestige and honor with the blue beret of the Airborne Forces. This is due to the fact that every employee who really wants to achieve a green beret must first achieve the possibility of enrolling in the special units of the border troops described above (recall that these are air assault and reconnaissance units, sabotage and airborne troops). Of course, the path to such a goal is very long and difficult, requires great moral and physical effort, but if a fighter really deserves the right togreen takes the BB, then wearing it speaks for itself.
