West Point reveals special Army football uniforms for Navy game

WEST POINT – In an anniversary year recognizing the military response to the September 11 terror attacks, the Army football team has chosen to recognize the soldiers of the U.S. Army Special Forces that got the war started against the Taliban in mid-October 2001.

In a continuing tradition for the Army-Navy game, both football teams have been wearing specialized uniforms and helmets to honor segments of their military branches. West Point revealed this year’s kit during Monday’s daily lunch period at the Cadet Mess Hall.

Designed by apparel company Nike, the Army helmet is a light camouflage design. The Black Knights’ “road’’ uniform is white jersey and pants with a Task Force Dagger patch on the left shoulder and American flag on the right. On the front are name plates for “Army” and the Latin phrase “De Oppresso Liber,’’ which translates to “from (being) an oppressed man, (to being) a free one.’’

The Black Knights logo is located just above the number, brown in color.

“Glad to be in here after getting that uniform reveal,’’ head coach Jeff Monken said while opening his weekly press conference. “Everybody was kind of on the edge of the seat about that. I went down to the Corps of Cadets at the mess hall lunch and they revealed that. It's pretty neat to be able to be a part of that.’’

The back name plate has the slogan “United We Stand.’’ Monken said the slogan has deep meaning for a country that has been torn apart in recent years by social, political and philosophical differences.

“I think part of that is honoring the 9/11 attacks and each of the sites where we were attacked on our own soil and how we stood together as a nation at that moment at that time in our history and how it's important that we continue to stand together, united as a country, but even more so I guess with a greater sense of community and recognizing the division that we still have in our country that remains,’’ Monken said, “regardless of what that is, whether it's race, creed, color, sexual orientation, politically, whatever it may be, to bridge the gap between those divisions and come together and stand together as a country. It's important that we do that and work on that every day, not for it just to be words but for that to really be an action that we unite. So I think that probably speaks to the spirit of our team and hopefully the spirit of this Academy, our United States Army and our nation as a whole.’’

The Army-Navy game will be hosted by MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 3 p.m. on December 11. Army, riding a four-game win streak, is 8-3. Navy is 3-8.

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Army won last year’s game, 15-0, on a fog-shrouded afternoon. The contest was held at West Point for the first time since 1943. Host city Philadelphia had health restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic that would not have allowed the Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen to attend, so the service academies decided to shift the game to Michie Stadium.

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The 2020 “home” uniform for Army honored the 25th Infantry Division, which has fought in the Pacific Theater and nicknamed “Tropic Thunder.’’ The jersey was olive green in color with patches and insignias representing the 25th ID that fought in several major wars, notably the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War.

Last year's helmet, of similar color, displayed the division’s iconic shoulder insignia, a lightning bolt superimposed on a taro leaf, the red and gold colors representing the late Hawaiian monarchy, a design referred to as the “Electric Strawberry.’’

Thirty-five days after the plane attacks on New York, Washington, D.C., and western Pennsylvania on 9/11, Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas from the 5th Special Forces Group were deployed from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to Afghanistan. The Army football uniforms honor Task Force Dagger, a unit that was attacking the Taliban lines 48 hours after arrival.

These horse soldiers, aided by the Central Intelligence Agency and native Northern Alliance forces, were celebrated in the 2018 action-war film called “12 Strong,’’ produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena and Rob Riggle.

While there were World War II military units that performed as such, the U.S. Army Special Forces was founded in 1952 during the Korean Conflict specializing in unconventional warfare. The special forces have participated in every conflict since then.

kmcmillan@th-record.com

Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army reveals uniforms for NCAA college football rivalry game vs. Navy