Garrison cap

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gen. Omar N. Bradley wearing a garrison cap.

A garrison cap, forage cap, flight cap or overseas cap is a foldable cap with straight sides and a creased or hollow crown sloping to the back where it is parted.

In the U.S. armed forces it is known as a garrison cap, campaign cap (not to be confused with campaign hat, a distinct form of headgear), flight cap, garrison hat, fore-and-aft cap,envelope cap, pisscutter or overseas cap. Field Service Cap is the name used in the Commonwealth. In the Canadian Forces it has also come to be known as a wedge cap, and is worn by Air Force members.

It is a variant of the Glengarry, being distinguished by a lack of check or plaid trim, toorie, and ribbons typical of the original. It has been associated with various military forces from the World War I era to the present and various youth organizations. Recently it has been replaced in the U.S. Army by the beret, but remains in the other U.S. Armed Forces, most notably the U.S. Air Force; the equivalent armed services of Russia still maintain it.

The garrison cap is worn by anti-riot units, such as The Gendarmerie Mobile of the French Gendarmerie as well as the CRS of the French National Police.

A convenient feature of this cap is that when the owner is indoors and no coat-hook is available on which to hang it, it can be easily stored (unofficially, by folding it over the belt or tucking it into an epaulette.)

In Canadian service, the Field Service Cap was adopted Army-wide in 1939, and replaced in 1943 by a khaki beret. The Coloured Field Service Cap was a variant permitted for private purchase and worn only when off duty. These were done in the colours of the regiment or corps of the wearer.

[edit] Offensive terms

The cap earned an offensive slang name cunt cap by the resemblance of the crown's crease and folds to labia (See List of U.S. Army acronyms and expressions).

It is also known as a "Biter" (or "Bider"), which is short for cock-biter. When the cap is pulled at either side, the front and rear corners come together as jaws.