Campaign hat
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A campaign hat (also Stetson, drill instructor hat, drill sergeant hat, round brown, ranger hat, sergeant hat, Scouts hat, Smokey Bear hat, lemon squeezer) is a broad-brimmed felt hat with a high crown pinched at the four corners. It is associated with World War I ground forces of the United States Army, contemporary U.S. military drill instructors, state police forces, park rangers, Boy Scouts, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Legion of Frontiersmen and others. It should not be confused with a campaign cap, or the Stetson type known as the Cowboy hat.
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[edit] History
The origins of the hat can be traced to the 1840s when army troops posted in the west happily donned themselves civilian hats which were far more practical than the shakos or kepis then in vogue with most western armies. The name started to be used after the 1872–1876 regulations which introduced a black felt hat — which could be drab after 1883 — for fatigue use derived from the types popularized during the American Civil War. During the Spanish–American War the standard central crease on the crown was found to be impractical as it tended to hold the rainwater from the frequent tropical downpours. Many soldiers reshaped the crown to form a pinched "Montana peak." The army officially adopted the peaked design in 1911.
The hat is often associated with Sir Robert Baden-Powell who introduced the hat for the South African Constabulary and the Boy Scouts.
Through the World War I era, the campaign hat worn by American soldiers was fairly soft. Those worn by the United States Army's General officers had a golden cord around it, whereas other Commissioned officers had a golden-and-black cord around their hat. Field Clerks, as well as their post-war successors the Warrant officers, had a silver-and-black cord, while other ranks had cords in their branch-of-service colors. The United States Marine Corps had the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor badge in black at the front of their campaign hats; its officers had an additional golden-and-scarlet cord around their hat, whereas its other ranks had none.[1]
By the 1930s the felt was made very stiff with a permanently flat brim. Due to the frequent wearing of helmets in France in World War I, most troops received a copy of the French bonnet du police that became known as the overseas cap. In 1942 the campaign hat ceased to be issued generally, but it was the trademark of General Joseph Stilwell.
[edit] Current usage
[edit] United States armed forces
The hat worn by U.S. Army drill sergeants is olive drab in color with the Great Seal of the United States on a disc, in golden color, centered on the front (For Infantry drill sergeants, they have a blue disc with the Seal inside). U.S. Marine Corps Drill Instructors and Rifle Range Instructors wear similar hats with a flat black, Eagle, Globe, and Anchor centered on the front. Enlisted Men no longer wear cords around the hats, but U.S. Marine Corps officers elgible to wear the Campaign Hat wear a scarlet and gold cord with generals wearing a solid gold one. The U.S. Marine Corps had their hats authorized in 1956 by the 21st Commandant General Pate. The hat was issued on 20 July 1956.[2]
U. S. Air Force Military Training Instructors (MTI) wear navy blue hats with the Great Seal of the United States within a ring, in silver color, again centered on the front. Air Force MTI's who are qualified to teach new MTI's are identified by a black cord around the hat. MTI's in the top ten percent of their career field wear a light blue cord and are more likely to be referred to as "Blue Ropes" than MTI's. U.S. Coast Guard Drill Instructors wear a navy blue version with a black cord, and the insignia worn is the same as would be worn with the combination cover.
[edit] Royal Canadian Mounted Police
In Canada the Stetson was the official dress hat of the Northwest Mounted Police (later Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who retain it as part of the full dress uniform) as well as Canadian cavalry units in the First World War. The hat was phased out of military use by the service dress cap following the First World War. It is also used by members of the Ontario Provincial Police, but it is being phased out due to problems wearing them in police cruisers. Though similar to the U.S. Campaign Hat, the indentations of the hat are different.
[edit] New Zealand Army
New Zealand Army, whose uniforms have historically followed the British pattern, has the campaign hat (known as the "lemon squeezer" hat) as the most visible national distinction. This was adopted by the Wellington Regiment about 1912 and became general issue for all New Zealand units during the latter stages of World War I. The different branches of service were distinguished by coloured puggarees or wide bands around the base of the crown (blue and red for artillery, green for mounted rifles, khaki and red for infantry etc). The "lemon squeezer" was worn to a certain extent during World War II, although often replaced by more convenient forage caps or berets. After being in abeyance since the 1950s, the "lemon squeezer" has recently been reintroduced for parade dress where it is usually worn with a version of the khaki "no 2" service dress of the British Army. Officer cadets and some bands wear this headdress with a scarlet and blue full dress uniform.
[edit] Park Rangers
Campaign hats are still worn by U.S. park rangers of the National Park Service and forest rangers of the United States Forest Service. Many local park rangers may also wear the campaign hat.
[edit] Law enforcement
Several U.S. state police services and some local police (including numerous county sheriffs' services) wear campaign hats. So common is it among state highway police that they are sometimes referred to as "smokeys," after Smokey Bear, the logo-character of the U.S. Park Rangers who wears one (though state police have no relationship to park rangers, the nickname was born of the physical similarity with the cartoon figure).
[edit] Boy Scouts
The campaign hat is still available for wear by Boy Scouts of the Boy Scouts of America. Because this style of hat is also so traditionally associated with Scouting, campaign hats are often used as presentation items by troops and local councils for adult Scouters and community and business leaders being honored for their service to the Scouting movement.
