Class colored baseball caps

From USAFA Folklore

Class colored baseball caps are headgear worn by basic cadets and fourth class cadets when they are wearing BDUs or fatigues. This began (after the late 1970s), prior to which, fourth class cadets wore black baseball caps. The class colored baseball caps are generally worn throughout Basic Cadet Training and during the fourth class year through Recognition.

Because they are made in the class color and are worn through a particularly trying time at the Academy, they have become a strong symbol of class unity. Upper class cadets will sometimes wear their own class colored baseball caps during training events (or during hall brawls) as a show of class spirit. Occasionally, graduates will even be seen wearing them at reunions or at other Academy events.