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| Country | United States |
| Active | 19 June 1952 – present |
| Motto | De oppresso liber (U.S. Army's translation: "To Liberate the Oppressed") |
| Branch | U.S. Army |
| Type | Special Operations Forces |
U.S.
Army Special Forces:
The Story Behind the Green Beret
President Kennedy
In 1961, President Kennedy visited Fort Bragg. He inspected the 82nd Airborne Division and other conventional troops of the XVIII Airborne Corps and liked what he saw. But what he liked even more were the Special Forces. As a student of military affairs, President Kennedy had developed an interest in counterinsurgency - the art and method of defeating guerrilla movements. As he gazed at the ranks of Special Forces troops, he realised he had the ideal vehicle for carrying out such missions. With President Kennedy firmly behind them, new Special Forces groups sprang up with rapidity. On September 21, 1961, the 5th Group was activated followed in 1963 by the 8th Group on April 1, the 6th on May 1, and the 3rd on December 5.
President Kennedy's interest in the Special Forces also lead to the September 21, 1961, adoption of the green beret as the official headgear of all Special Forces troops. Until then, the beret had faced an uphill fight in its struggle to achieve official Army recognition. After his visit to Fort Bragg, the president told the Pentagon that he considered the green beret to be "symbolic of one of the highest levels of courage and achievement of the United States military." Soon, the green beret became synonymous with Special Forces, so much so that the two terms became interchangeable.
And, indeed, it was fitting that the men of the Special Forces finally had the right to wear their own headgear because they were now on the brink of proving just how courageous and committed they were. Vietnam was beckoning.
