English: Drill sergeant candidates at the United States Army Drill Sergeant School are fitted and issued their hats just days before graduating from the prestigious course. The olive drab headgear worn by male drill sergeants today has a flat brim, Montana Peak and bears a gold disc of the Great Seal of the United States on its front. Infantry Soldiers wear an infantry blue disc under the seal. Drill sergeants first wore this hat in 1964 as a way of distinguishing themselves from those whom they were charged with transforming into Soldiers. It has been their proud symbol ever since. The female version of the drill sergeant hat came into existence in 1972 as a beige version of the Australian bush hat, when six noncommissioned officers from the Fort McClellan, Ala., became the first females to successfully complete the Drill Sergeant Course. It was later changed to a green color in 1983 but retained its general design. The difference in the male and female drill sergeant hat versions has become a topic for contentious debate in recent years.