Figure 1.--This is a Connecticut troop at the Lake Of Isles Scout Reservationin in 1982. Notice all the different ways the boys are wearing their berets. It was the transition period to the new designer uniforms. Most of the scouts are wearing the red berets which continued to be an accepted option. Some of the Scouts are wearing the old green uniform, some are wearing the new designer uniform. Some of the boys are wearing the adult leader style uniform with open collar and no neckerchief. A reader writes, "I found this picture nostalgic as I attended Lake Of Isles Scout Reservation, where this picture was taken, for 5 years as a boy."

The beret was not a garment American boys were used to wearing. There were several different ways to wear it. American boys have tended to wear their berets in a kind of pan cake fashion, although some boys would wear their berets at a bit of an angle. It could we worn squared away on the head or at an angle. The angle could be varied quite a bit. The beret could also be worn back on the head. Also the beret could be worn basically on top of the head or it could be pulled down a bit covering more of the hair. Sone nboys did not give much thought to this. Others were more interested in thrir look, opting for a jaunty look. This usually meant wearing the beret at an angel. Often the Scout master would seek a degree of uniformity, at least in uniform inspections or group pictures. Here we see a Scout troop where the leader obviously did not instruct the boys on how to wear the beret (figure 1). Notice all the different approches the boys took.