Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition BERET, MANS, WOOL, in the correct RIFLE GREEN color of the U.S. Army Special Forces, usually referred to as the "Green Berets". The owner of this rare beret served in the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) during the Vietnam war. The beret is offered in good condition and also features a correct Special Forces D22 marked enamel pin and all green 10th SFG (A) patch flash.

The Beret is not marked on the inside top of the lining, but the construction and the celluloid over the lining, we believe this to be an early Bancroft made example. The beret itself is faded in color due to many years sitting on a flat surface while being displayed in direct sunlight for many years.

A great piece of Vietnam militaria!

The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (10th SFG (A), or 10th Group) is an active duty United States Army Special Forces (SF) Group. 10th Group is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare (UW), foreign internal defense (FID), direct action (DA), counterinsurgency, special reconnaissance, counterterrorism, information operations, counter-proliferation of weapon of mass destruction,
and security force assistance. 10th Group is responsible for operations within the EUCOM area of responsibility, as part of Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR).

In 2009, as part of a new SOCOM directive, the group is now also responsible for operations within the AFRICOM area of responsibility. 10th SFG(A) was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1991 during the First Persian Gulf War, and has been heavily involved in the War on Terrorism, deploying to Georgia, North Africa, Afghanistan, and consistently to Iraq.

The A-teams of 10th Group began exchange training with unconventional forces in friendly countries, including United Kingdom, Germany, France, Norway, Spain, Italy, and Greece. In the summer of 1960, 10th Group deployed to the newly independent Congo, to evacuate Americans and Europeans to Leopoldville, where there would be a larger evacuation, led by Belgian paratroopers. The group evacuated 239 civilians without a single casualty in only nine days.

As the United States became increasingly involved in Vietnam, counter-insurgency became the primary focus of the Special Forces, rather than the traditional unconventional warfare. While the 10th SFG(A) was never deployed to Vietnam, the soldiers and officers assigned to it did rotate through the country as part of different special forces groups. During the Vietnam War, detachments of 10th Group began training Middle Eastern special warfare forces. In Jordan, B Detachment established the first airborne school, and King Hussein attended the graduation parachute jump. In 1963, Company C of 10th Group trained 350 officers and NCOs of a guerrilla force fighting the socialist government in Yemen.

Detachments also traveled to Iran to train the Iranian Special Forces, along with Kurdish tribesmen in the mountains of Iran. A-Teams also trained Turkish and Pakistani special forces. In 1968, 10th Group, minus the 1st Battalion, was transferred to Fort Devens, Massachusetts. 1st Battalion remained in Bad Tölz, Germany.