Army Dropped Their Game Uniform For Army-Navy And They Are...FIRE

First things first, this is how you do a uniform reveal properly. You take your time. You go on location. You go in depth with interviews of the unit you are honoring. You learn the history. You build an entire website with all of the details. You don't take 5 pictures in a dark closet and call it a day. 

Army dropped their uniforms this morning to the Corps of Cadets during breakfast formation, which is one heck of a way to take you into Thanksgiving break. It is awesome to see the Football team including the Corps with the announcement as opposed to secluded with just the team at their facility. This game means so much to the team obviously but it's deeply important to the entire Corps. They will take this rivalry with them into the Army and the rest of their lives, not to mention the support they provide on gameday so it's imperative that the reveal was in front of the entire Corps. 

As for the uniforms, where do I begin? I'll start by saying they are big fire and extremely clean. 

How about with the unit and history we are honoring. 

The 2023 Army-Navy uniform tells the story of the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division during the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Marne Division’s participation in the initiation of offensive operations in Iraq, the longest and most rapid armored advance since the Second World War. 

In an effort to maintain pressure on the Iraqi regime and determine the strength of the Iraqi defenses in and around Baghdad, Major General (MG) Buford Blount, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, ordered 2nd Brigade Combat Team, under the command of Colonel (COL) David Perkins, to conduct an armored thrust north along Highway 8 into central Baghdad before moving southwest to return to the Baghdad International Airport. This operation came to be known as the Thunder Run.

Uhh, can you say badass? 3ID was the tip of the armored spear that took the fight to the Iraqis and eventually took down one of the most brutal dictators ever. Plus with a mission name like "Thunder Run" there was never a chance of failure. 

I cannot remember a football team ever going with a desert tan color for the jersey and pants. We've done all white before so why not be first with all tan. I love it. The black accents are a subtle touch that accentuate the tan nicely. This is not tan for the sake of tan - it represents the desert where we fought and also the uniforms of that time period. I will also admit just as a general fan of college football that the color matchup of the tan versus the navy will look pretty on your television screens. 

Let's talk about this helmet too. 

Does the 3ID mascot, Rocky the Bulldog, look sort of familiar? Maybe you've seen that style of artwork before? Maybe that's because it was created for 3ID by the godfather of animation himself, Walt Disney. Ever heard of him? Quite a stark difference from the carnival airbrush on that other team's helmet. Plus, we all love dogs so Army has dog lovers on their side. The nickname of Dogface Soldier on the visor is tough. 

The last detail I will point out is the Iraq Campaign streamer. 

Between the Soldiers and grads who served in 3ID and Iraq, you have a lot of pride when they see these uniforms. That's what makes them special to me. Sure, the design is very cool and they look awesome, but they represent all the brave men and women who served in that unit and who answered the country's call when we needed to go into Iraq and topple that disgusting regime. On December 9th, there will be a mom or dad who will turn to their young child and have the privilege of saying, "You see that patch on their shoulder? That is the unit that I served with during the war." Their child will beam with pride and it will be a nice moment for that family. 

In the end, Army has won the uniform matchup again. Obviously we want to win the more important battle, the game, but it is nice that we can come into the game looking better than our foes across the line of scrimmage. 

P.S. This is the yearly reminder to be grateful this Thanksgiving holiday that we have the power of Nike behind us. Thank you, Mr. Knight.