Army ditches beret for most

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)

It's hot, it doesn't keep the sun out of your eyes, and you need two hands and a mirror to make sure it's on straight.

After 10 years of complaints, the Army is all but ditching the black wool beret and allowing soldiers to go back to the old brimmed patrol cap for their everyday duties.

"It's the military equivalent of being able to wear a baseball cap to work," said Col. Pete Brooks of the South Carolina Army National Guard.

"Wearing the beret in 100-degree South Carolina heat was like wearing a wet piece of black wool on your head."