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The Army Black Knights unveiled special threads for their annual game against the Navy Midshipmen on Dec. 14, honoring the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division. Army's threads are inspired by the group that fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the town of Bastogne, Belgium, during World War II. Also known as the Screaming Eagles, the division underwent three weeks of combat in freezing weather. According to Army's release about the uniforms, the group's commitment to not surrendering was significant in the failure of the Nazis' "last great offensive" in World War II. The uniforms honor that legacy with thoughtful features throughout, highlighted by the color that "reflects the canopy of fog and snow giving way to the shadows beneath the snow-covered pine forests in the Ardennes." The No. 24-ranked Black Knights announced the look Monday in a video highlighting the history of the division. The back of the uniform reads "ARMY!" in typography similar to the typewritten version of senior official Anthony McAuliffe's reply to Nazi demands to surrender: "NUTS!" Another design element is the card suits on the helmets, a nod to the markings used by 101st paratroopers and glider troops to identify their unit affiliations for jumping into Normandy. One of the four suits -- clover (327th Glider Infantry Regiment), heart (502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment), diamond (501st PIR) and pikes (506th PIR) -- will be randomly assigned to each player's helmet. The invasion star used on American aircraft and vehicles to assist battlefield identification appears on the front of the uniform. It's above "Bastogne" in a lettering style reminiscent of the road sign held by McAuliffe after the siege was broken. A Screaming Eagle decal is on the helmet's front, while the 101st Airborne patch is on the shoulder. Army's uniform unveiling comes amid its quest to start 10-0 for the first time in school history. It would achieve that feat with a win against the No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday.
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