Army unveils camouflage uniforms for annual Navy game, honors Ivy Soldiers

Army will be rocking camouflage in a look that pays homage to the over 100-year-old 4th Infantry Division when it faces Navy on Dec. 12 in the 127th meeting. Army unveiled the uniforms Sunday, which include a green camouflage color and pattern meant to reflect the "dense, ivy-covered foliage of Central and Eastern Europe, honoring the Ivy Soldiers' legacy of service," according to a news release. Various elements pay tribute to the 4th Infantry Division's history. The division, also referred to as the Ivy Soldiers, was created during World War I in December 1917. In a nod to its Roman numeral designation of IV, it became known as the "Ivy Division." Ivy is included on the Army West Point Athena Shield, as well as the gloves and cleats players will wear. The unit's insignia reflects that name and appears on the jersey's left shoulder patch and on the front of the camouflage green helmet. The lid also features an "IV" decal surrounded by four ivy leaves, the division's "Steadfast and Loyal" motto on the visor's wings and a 9/11 decal on the back. "It's important to honor and to showcase the service academies because, yes, they're playing a game, but they're really there to serve their country," said Nike designer Jason Cochran in the news release. "They're out there protecting their country and playing the game that they love." The uniform's numbers and letters boast chiseled-looking typography inspired by memorials such as the Utah Beach monument. "IVY SOLDIERS" runs on the nameplate on the back of the uniform, with "IV" in white and the rest in green. Even the game balls Army is set to use have details -- the 4th Infantry Division's insignia, an ivy-adorned Athena Shield and the uniform's green color and pattern in the swoosh. This is the 11th consecutive year that Army, the U.S. Military Academy's Department of History and War Studies students and Nike have collaborated on a special uniform for the Army-Navy game. Army coach Jeff Monken called it "a tremendous source of pride" for the players to wear a uniform that represents different units. "What goes through my mind is there's a meaning behind that jersey," Army safety Stephen Nnadozie said. "People have died behind these units that these jerseys are representing, and to be able to go out there and represent that unit on the field, it means a lot. And you don't take that for granted." Navy has yet to announce its uniforms for the game, which will be at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.