Soldiers with the Southern European Task Force parachute onto the Juliet Drop Zone near Vajont, Italy, on Aug. 27. It was the final jump for SETAF, which lost its airborne status recently. (Courtesy of Crystal Abbott/ SETAF public affairs office)
The maroon beret that made soldiers stationed with the Southern European Task Force a little different from most Army headquarters units is a little less prevalent these days at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italty.
About 250 soldiers switched to black berets on base last week due to an Army decision to drop the unit’s airborne status.
"It’s part of the Army’s long-term transition plan," said Lt. Col. Richard Spiegel, a public affairs officer for U.S. Army Europe. He said specific reasons for the move would have to be answered by the Department of the Army. But a query made along those lines to the Pentagon last week was not answered.
SETAF, a week shy of its 53rd birthday, has carried the airborne designation since the early 1990s. It’s been one of only a handful of Army headquarters units to bear that designation during that time. SETAF has been involved in numerous operations in Africa and was the main headquarters element for a year in Afghanistan, but the unit has never actually jumped into a conflict.
And only a few dozen soldiers in the unit have actually been jump-qualified at any one time. Those who were jump-qualified will see $150 less a month in their paychecks.
Soldiers who were jump-qualified and are losing that status seemed resigned to their fate.
"Nobody wants to come off jump status," said Sgt. Maj. Matthew West, the unit’s operations sergeant major. "Airborne is not just a job. It’s a way of life."
West made his 255th jump in late August during SETAF’s last drop, launched from Aviano Air Base in Italy. The unit’s airborne designation technically ended in mid-September, according to Maj. Ryan Dillon, SETAF’s public affairs officer.
Dillon noted that although SETAF hasn’t jumped into any conflicts, its soldiers have been involved in many exercises and partnership jumps with other countries over the years.
Sgt. Edwin Laboy, who also participated in the final jump, said he’ll remember those experiences.
"The airborne community in Europe is so small," he said, recalling jumps in Africa and Eastern Europe.
Laboy isn’t one of those losing his jump status, though. He’s been assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. The Sky Soldiers, with their headquarters and two infantry battalions based in Vicenza under the SETAF umbrella, aren’t impacted by the redesignation. So more than half the base’s population will still be wearing maroon berets.
"I’m happy to still be jumping," Laboy said.
West said the loss of airborne status would free up more time for SETAF soldiers to pursue other missions.
"It’s actually one more thing we can take off our plate," he said.
And the change in berets?
"For me, the black beret is not that big of a deal. I look good in any beret," he said, laughing.
