The Cavalry Stetson is a cavalry traditional headgear within the United States Army, typical worn by cavalrymen in the late 1860s, named after its creator John B. Stetson.
In the modern U.S. Army, the Stetson was revived as an unofficial headgear for the sake of esprit de corps in the cavalry. Because they are not authorized by AR 670–1 (the regulation for wear and appearance of the uniform), wear and use of the Stetson and associated spurs is regulated by a unit commander. What follows is one example of a cavalry squadron's policy on the wear of Stetsons:"Army Regulation 670–1, Uniform and Insignia Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia", Department of the Army, dated 26 January 2021, last accessed 6 August 2022"WEAR OF THE CAVALRY ACCOUTERMENTS", mindspring.com, last updated 1 June 1997, last accessed 4 August 2022
The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment is an exception to this, in that they wear the brown Boss of the Plains campaign cover, but styled like a Stetson hat. This tradition is to honor their original uniforms from 1901 when the unit was formed.
Colored cords worn on the Stetson have evolved and expanded since their introduction in 1851. Below is a list of known cord colors and what they signified from 1851 through 1943:"Army Branch of Service Colors, Second World War"; "American Military Patches, Other Insignia and Decorations of World War Two;" by Dr. Howard G. Lanham; dated 2001; courtesy of angelfire.com; last accessed 4 August 2022 Branch Primary Color Secondary Color EstablishedAdjutant General Dark Blue Scarlet 1936Air Corps Ultramarine Golden Orange 1920Armored Green White 1942Cavalry Yellow 1855Chaplains Black Chemical Warfare Cobalt Blue Golden Yellow 1918Coast Artillery Scarlet 1902Detached Enlisted Men Green Field Artillery Scarlet 1851Finance Silver Gray Golden Yellow 1921Infantry Light Blue 1851Inspector General Dark Blue Light Blue 1936Judge Advocate General Dark Blue White 1936Medical Department Maroon White 1916Military Intelligence Golden Yellow Purple 1936Military Police Yellow Green 1922National Guard Bureau Dark Blue 1921Ordnance Crimson Yellow 1921Permanent Professor (USMA) Scarlet Silver Gray 1936Quartermaster Buff 1902Signal Orange White 1902Specialists' Reserve Brown Golden Yellow 1936Tank Destroyer Golden Orange Black 1943Transportation Brick Red Golden Yellow 1942Warrant Officers Brown 1936Women's Army Corps Old Gold Moss Green 1942
On April Fools' Day, 2011, the U.S. Army released a humorous statement that the official black beret of the Army would be replaced by stetsons. Below is an excerpt from the full announcement:"Stetson hat to be new Army standard headgear", Army.mil, by Army News Release, dated 1 April 2011, last accessed 6 August 2022
The statement was supplemented by pictures of soldiers with Cavalry Hats photoshopped over their berets, including a military working dog toting a stetson.
See also List of hat styles Cavalry Combat Cavalry Badge Fiddler's Green Order of the Spur Stetson Headgear of the United States Army
References