Why does Edward Hood wear a white beret? 🤔
- Edward
- Apr 4
- 3 min read
Do you know which US military unit wears the distinctive white beret?
The answer is none.
In order for me to answer this question, we need to travel 25 years back in time to the year 2000. At that time, I was a member of the Madison County High School AFJROTC program. I served as a member of the Unit FL-933 Color Guard and as Commander of the Model Rocketry team. On April 8th, 2000, our Color Guard team dedicated a historical Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker in Madison County, Florida, in the Four Freedoms Park.
1 week later we carried the colors once again in the Madison County Down Home Days Parade. The local newspaper took a photo of us and I was carrying the US Air Force flag. We are all wore white berets.
Fast forward to 2020. I was a recently separated Veteran, struggling with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The military had been my whole heart and soul, and I felt as if I had lost my mission and my identity. I began attending my VA appointments and noticed other veterans wearing ball caps with their unit patches emblazoned on the front. For some reason, I had never really noticed these Veterans when I was serving in the military. Now, I was one of them.
I started looking for a hat representing my unit, but I couldn’t find a single one. The unit I came from was the 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron (JCSS). The 224th JCSS is part of the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE).
I gave up on the idea of wearing a Veteran ball cap because quite frankly, I didn’t think it was my style. I needed something different.
The Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) I came from is known as 1D7X1W Cyber Defense Operations, Expeditionary Communications. You won’t find that AFSC on my service record because the U.S. Air Force was transitioning my old career field, RF Transmission Systems, into Cyber Defense Operations while I was separating. As a result, my service record does not reflect it. The titles changed, but the badge did not. I wanted to wear my AFSC because it took around five years to earn that badge, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of that community.
This is what each element of the badge represents. I could write a book about everything I was involved with around the world. Let’s just say that if you needed to communicate anytime, anywhere, you called my unit.
Back to the story.
In the world of social media, if you are producing videos, you need a consistent theme. You need a trademark. Something that stands out which no one else is doing and is memorable.
I chose the white beret.
A beret signifies military affiliation, and it fit because I am a Veteran. I also knew that no U.S. military unit wore a white beret. In my profession, ethical hackers are known as 'white hats.' Since I am a certified cybersecurity professional, it became my trademark. It’s also camouflage—if I’m not wearing the beret, I am essentially invisible. People who don’t know me won’t recognize me in public. That’s how powerful a personal brand can be.
I’ve been wearing the white beret for years now, and it’s become a part of who I am. I’ve worn it in front of Delta Force operators, Green Berets, Rangers, and USAF Special Operators. Nobody has ever accused me of stolen valor. Why? Because it doesn’t represent any unit—it represents me.
So now you know the history and the reason why I wear the white beret. Thanks for reading.
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