AR, I am really glad to hear that. I too thought the army-wide issue of the black beret was a slap at the Rangers and the tank crews who had worn the black berets in Vietnam. For that very reason those knowledgable SMAJs noted, the tankers found black berets most suitable, and are the traditional choice of the British, Israelis, Russians, and others. The beret can be rolled and tucked into a coveralls pocket when the tank crewman's commo helmet isn't worn, and is more practical stuffed inside those helmets than any other headgear save possibly the Navy knit watch cap. The Army-wide adoption of the new MICH helmet suitable for use with commo headsets and microphone to replace the Kevlar *K-Pot* suggests that other troopers besides tankers will find that true of their berets as well.
I always though the REAL headgear of the Rangers was the patrol cap, worn back in the days of the detested general-issue baseball cap when a floppy bush hat or helmet wasn't the better choice, but the commonality of the tan Ranger beret with the *sandhats* of the British and Australian S.A.S. regiment has been generally noted as appropriate by those in both the British and American services, and offers swell opportunities for a little off-duty trading between brother services.
I still have my doubts about the Stryker wheeled combat vehicle that General Shinseki similarly pushed on the service during his tenure, and I hope that decision proves to be as eventually suitable as the one about headgear was. But in the meantime I retain the strongest doubts and suspicions of a former infantryman and tank crewman as to the vehicle's ability to perform as described; we shall see, and we can hope.
But at least your Shinseki story gives us some good reason to keep that hope going till the first Stryker war stories, good or bad, come back. -archy-/-