<P> Their new headgear was first worn at a retirement parade at Fort Bragg on 12 June 1955 for Lt. Gen. Joseph P. Cleland, the now - former commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps . Onlookers thought that the commandos were a foreign delegation from NATO . </P> <P> In 1956 Gen. Paul D. Adams, the post commander at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, banned its wear, even though it was worn on the sly when units were in the field or deployed overseas . This was reversed on 25 September 1961 by Department of the Army Message 578636, which designated the green beret as the exclusive headgear of the Army Special Forces . </P> <P> When visiting the Special Forces at Fort Bragg on 12 October 1961, President John F. Kennedy asked Brig. Gen. William P. Yarborough to make sure that the men under his command wore green berets for the visit . Later that day, Kennedy sent a memorandum that included the line:' "I am sure that the green beret will be a mark of distinction in the trying times ahead". By America's entry into the Vietnam War, the green beret had become a symbol of excellence throughout the U.S. Army . On 11 April 1962 in a White House memorandum to the United States Army, President Kennedy reiterated his view: "The green beret is a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom". Previously, both Yarborough and Edson Raff had petitioned the Pentagon to allow wearing of the green beret, to no avail . </P>

Which u.s. president authorized the wearing of green berets by u.s. army special forces soldiers