TACOMA, Wash. — Mark Watson, a local teacher and recently retired Army colonel, was surprised to learn that the black, cheaply-made veteran ball caps denoting branch, wartime service, and military medals were not mandatory, sources report. “It was the strangest thing,” said Watson. “A few weeks after my discharge I still hadn’t received it in the mail. I figured there might be some confusion because maybe my records were out of order, and they wanted to get it right before sewing everything on.”