Green beret
U.S. Special Forces wear the green beret as a distinction of excellence and uniqueness within the Army.
Robin Moore
Thanks to connections with Harvard classmate Robert F. Kennedy, Moore was allowed access to the U.S. Army Special Forces to write about this elite unit of the United States Army. It was General William P. Yarborough who insisted that Moore go through special forces training in order to better understand "what makes Special Forces soldiers 'special'." He trained for nearly a year, first at "jump school" for airborne training before completing the Special Forces Qualification Course or "Q Course", becoming the first civilian to participate in such an intensive program. Afterwards, Moore was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group on deployment to Vietnam. His experiences in-country formed the basis for "The Green Berets", a bestseller that helped secure him international acclaim (see United States Army Special Forces in popular culture).