Posted by
Bull 67 on Monday, November 10, 2008 9:39:46 PM
Last Veteran’s Day a California elementary school held a ceremony honoring local veterans. When students asked what veterans looked like, a teacher told them
look for the men in the black hats. Veterans have increasingly chosen the black hat as the most notable symbol of their service. This phenomenon has gone unnoticed but merits closer examination.
Seldom do these old men gather as they once did, with vests and hats covered ribbons and pins extolling their valor in campaigns of long ago. Instead, they buy cheap black ball caps at truck stops, convenience stores or military reunions.
Who first came up with the black hat? I don’t know. Maybe the Navy started it. I seem to remember first seeing these hats in the 1980s, emblazoned with the names of warships. As the years went by I saw more of a variety, such as Army Airborne, 423rd Infantry Regiment Battle of the Bulge, and Air Commando. Now they are everywhere, heralding the heritage of each military service.
Deep in my heart I think the black hat phenomenon was a reaction to Vietnam. The anti-war protestors covered themselves with colorful symbols and slogans. The Vietnam vets, forced underground by an ungrateful society, emerged with a defiant and subdued symbol. Slowly, the black hats emerged; in the Post Exchanges, reunions, and military magazines. And veterans snatched them up, but not just Vietnam vets. They’ve become universal to all vets.
I don’t know why the black hat is so popular with veterans. Perhaps it expresses a simple dignity. Ribbons, vests, and pins are loud, almost a gaudy. Old Russians with bushy eyebrows wear ribbons on their suits, not American heroes. I also think it’s because baseball caps are purely American: unpretentious, common, practical, and unifying. They look as natural on a Nebraska farmer from who survived Omaha Beach as they do on a former president who bailed out of an Avenger over the Pacific.
I think the hats are black for the same reason the Vietnam Memorial is black. Black conveys a sense of remembrance; of places and comrades long gone. The lettering, almost always gold, symbolizes the value of honor and duty. The words emblazoned on each hat speak for themselves. Behind each hat is a story.
If you want to hear that story, simply look in your local parks, the neighborhood Wal-Mart, or in line at the pharmacy. Under each hat is an old man who, for the most part, usually goes unnoticed. They’re not in your face. They’re not making a political statement. These old men simple want you to know five things:
I was there. I did my duty. Others didn’t make it back. Don’t forget them. Don’t forget me.
God Bless our veterans and God Bless America.