West Point's Army football team will wear uniforms honoring the legendary 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers when the team takes the field against the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday in Baltimore for the annual Army-Navy football game.
The uniform will include two shoulder patches, one with a 48-star flag and another with the familiar AA "All-American" logo of the 82nd Airborne, said the Military Times. It also will include patches on the front of the uniform that identify individual regiments and battalions within the division.
The Army's helmet design will feature a lattice overlay to symbolize the netting worn by soldiers of the era, along with helmet symbols that also identify the 82nd's individual units and undershirts that also boast the unit patches.
"We are honored that the West Point Football team will pay tribute our World War II legacy during this weekend's Army-Navy Game," The 82nd Airborne said in a statement on its Facebook page. "This division has a unique heritage handed down from the Paratroopers of yesterday; the 82nd Airborne Division has an uncommon prestige in this country."
Army hopes the uniforms will help the Black Knights break a 14-game losing streak against the Midshipmen in the annual college football game.
"The 'AA' patch is a tribute to the 82nd's 'All-American' nickname, which they earned during the war because they drew members from each state," wrote Sports Illustrated. "The airborne division led the invasions of Italy, Normandy and Holland, for which they were celebrated for their bravery and mental toughness."
The uniforms received a thumbs up from many on social media.