Green beret
When visiting the Special Forces at Fort Bragg on 12 October 1961, President John F. Kennedy asked Brigadier General William P. Yarborough to make sure that the men under his command wore green berets for the visit. Later that day, Kennedy sent a memorandum which included the line: "I am sure that the green beret will be a mark of distinction in the trying times ahead". By America's entry into the Vietnam War, the green beret had become a symbol of excellence throughout the US Army. On April 11, 1962 in a White House memorandum to the United States Army, President Kennedy reiterated his view: "The green beret is a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom". To no avail, both Yarborough and Edson Raff had previously petitioned the Pentagon to allow wearing of the green beret. The President, however, did not fail them.
Shades of green
Rifle green was originally adopted by rifle regiments in the 18th century, including the famous 95th Rifles of the Napoleonic Wars. As the traditional role of riflemen was that of marksmen and skirmishers who attacked behind the cover of trees, a dark green uniform was adopted as an early form of camouflage, as opposed to the colorful uniforms worn by other soldiers of the period. The vegetable based dyes used during the 18th and early 19th centuries were not fast, frequently fading after exposure to the elements to lighter shades of green or even brown. While this had advantages in terms of reduced visibility on active service, it did not make for a smart appearance on the peace-time parade ground. Accordingly, the color of the rifleman's uniform was progressively darkened until it approached black. After 1890 the development of chemical dyes permitted the adoption of the stable shade of rifle green now worn. In the U.S. armed forces, the green beret may be worn only by soldiers awarded the Special Forces Tab, signifying they have been qualified as special forces soldiers. The special forces beret is officially designated "beret, man's, wool, rifle green, army shade 297". Previously, rifle green uniforms had been issued to Hiram Berdan's elite 1st and 2nd United States Sharpshooters during the American Civil War.