The Chief of Staff of the United

States Army, General Eric Shinseki, is about to put the 474,000 men and

women of the Army in black berets. Up until this point, the beret has

been reserved as a reward to those who become part of one of the Army's

elite forces. Those who complete Jump School and become U. S. Army paratroopers

are awarded the right to wear the maroon beret.

Of course, nearly everyone

recognizes the special nature of the green beret worn by U. S. Army Special

Forces. But the "black hat" has, at least up until now, been

reserved for use by the elite Army Rangers who have to pass through both

Jump School and the grueling Ranger training course at Fort Benning.

Comments among members of

the Army have been mixed. One officer that I spoke with last week liked

the idea. He said that the concept was to see the entire Army as an elite

force, thus, the black beret conveyed the idea that everyone in the Army

uniform was someone to be reckoned with. He, however, is in the minority.

Several other Army officers that I contacted thought the whole thing was

a bad idea at best and, at worse, a joke.

Needless to say, members of

the Rangers have been howling. Two staff sergeants that I spoke with were

so disgusted that they could barely find the words to express their contempt

for the general's move. For the past two decades, the black beret has

been the exclusive property of the Rangers. Those who pass through the

54 days of desert, swamp and mountain survival training earn the designation

of "Ranger," the "Ranger" uniform tab, and the black

beret.

General Shinseki's plan

is to put all the 1.4 million Army troops in the black beret, including

the reserve and National Guard units.

One officer shared with me

that the Army is having a morale problem and that the black hat move is

an attempt to raise the pride and morale of the soldiers.

The general's action, which

will cost taxpayers $26.6 million, is a bad idea all around. First of

all, morale is always a leadership problem. The Army's morale has plummeted

during the eight years of the Clinton Administration. Poor recruiting

results, over-deployment, and a lack of a sense of mission have contributed

to the problem. Having a commander-in-chief who had a history of contempt

for the military and who engaged in activities that became a global embarrassment

didn't help the morale situation.

Secondly, young men and

women have been misled and lied to in the Army recruiting efforts. The

army is not about "being all that you can be." The army is about

defending liberty against aggressors, about breaking things, and killing

people, while staying alive and returning home to kith and kin. People

who enter the Army with the idea that the military is a kind of "college

campus and self-esteem course in uniform" are quickly disillusioned.

And what is this new campaign,

urging young people to be "an Army of one"? I realize that the

commercial panders to the postmodern autonomous individualistic impulses

of isolated youngsters raised in front of computer screens, but it's a

stupid idea. The Army is all about teamwork and mission, shared struggles

and sacrifices. An "army of one"? Try winning a battle all by

yourself and see how long you survive.

Thirdly, one does not make

everyone feel better about themselves by dumbing down the process. When

children are small, it's perfectly fine to award everyone on the soccer

team a trophy just for showing up and completing the season. But, as children

get older, trophies and awards should be given only for accomplishment,

not for self-esteem.

Self-esteem is gained by earning

it through achievement not by saying, "Here's a black hat. Now, don't

you feel elite?"

When I was a sophomore, our

high school instituted the first junior varsity football team in the school's

then-50-year history. For a school that had won more state championships

than any other school in Tennessee, a varsity letter in football was a

coveted thing, a symbol of adolescent manliness.

That year, I was a starter

on the JV team and a third stringer on the varsity. I didn't play enough

that year to earn a varsity letter. However, the coach awarded everyone

on the JV squad a letter, although it was a different color than the varsity

symbol.

Interestingly, almost no

one wore it. Many, like me, bought a letter jacket, but refused to

sew the JV letter on it, choosing to wait until the space could be filled

Prior to the general's action,

the black beret was a symbol of toughness, achievement, pride, and accomplishment.

To wear a "black hat" was to be instantly recognized as a member

of an elite fighting force and to be seen as a soldier who was a cut above

all the rest. Now, thanks to the misguided feel-goodism of the general,

the coveted black beret, universal symbol of toughness, worn proudly by

Rangers for nearly 20 years, is about to become just a hat.

What will it mean to wear the

black beret? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No wonder the Rangers are howling.

[David Epps

is rector of Christ the King Church in Peachtree City. He may be contacted

at [email protected] or at www.ChristheKingCEC.com.]