Although Special Forces was established as a basic branch of the Army through General Orders No. 35 issued on June 19, 1987 with an effective establishment date of April 9, 1987, the question of what the branch colors of this new organization would be had already been decided. On May 22, a little over a month before the General Order was issued, the Deputy Chief of Staff Personnel for the Army had approved Jungle Green (cable 65025) as the color of the Army’s newest branch—and of the suspenders that are authorized for wear in Chapter 20 of Department of the Army Pamphlet 670-1.
Suspenders are somewhat unique among uniform items in that are authorized for wear with every type of dress uniform: ASU, Blue Mess, and Evening Mess. But this seeming nod to the utility of suspenders does come at a small price: they may not be visible when worn with any of those uniforms. For your convenience, our Special Forces suspenders come in two styles—clip-on and button-loop—that conform to Army regulations.
The Jungle Green chosen for Special Forces hearkens back to the Green Berets, which was adopted informally in 1954 by members of the 10th and 77th Special Forces Groups. When it was first worn in public a year later, onlookers were confused—berets were associated with foreign troops. Its wear was banned in 1956, but five years later the Army fully embraced the notion of the Green Beret as a symbol of the unique mission and training of Special Forces Troops. President John F. Kennedy, who in his short time in office dramatically increased the funding and scope of Special Forces operations, concurred with the Army and proclaimed it “a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom.”
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