This Video Unveiling Air Force Football's 'Air Power Legacy Series' Uniform Might Prevent All Future Wars

Bettmann. Getty Images.

We've got one final weekend without college or pro football until February of 2024. Which seems like as good a time as any to ask if there's a better, more All-American tradition in our culture than football at our nation's service academies? 

That was a rhetorical question. Don't bother answering, because there is but one answer, an emphatic "NO, there is not." The best this country has to offer. Pulling the full workload of an FBS player, plus their military training, while being required to actually do all their academics. Doc "Mr. Inside" Blanchard and Glenn "Mr. Outside" Davis winning back-to-back Heismans for Army. Roger Staubach winning one for Navy. Chad Hennings of Air Force who won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior defensive lineman, served four years as a pilot before entering the NFL at age 27, played nine full seasons and won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys. The tradition and history of these programs is unlike anything else you'll find in sports. Fact, not opinion.

One of the best details of having a new season upon us it to see how the academies choose to honor that tradition and history with their uniforms when they face one another. This year, Air Force hosts Navy, and they are first out of the gate with their uniform release video. And it should come as a surprise to no one that it does not disappoint:

Here are the details:

And the description from the Falcons' homepage:

The Air Force football team will honor Air Force Special Operations Command with the 2024 edition of the Air Power Legacy Series uniform. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is always ready to answer our nation’s call and provide forces for worldwide deployment. The Falcons will wear the special uniform for the Navy game scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5, in Falcon Stadium and broadcasted on CBS.

The uniform combination has a number of key elements highlighting areas of the AFSOC mission. The helmet features the official emblem of AFSOC. The back bumper of the helmet highlights AFSOC’s motto, “Any Place, Any Time, Anywhere.” A sticker on the back of the helmet highlights the Air Force Special Tactics logo with a lightning bolt, green feet, and dagger, representing the “First there, that others may live” community. The front bumper of the helmet features the Special Tactics Combat Control motto “First There.” The jersey name plate on the right chest features each player’s name. The right sleeve is adorned with an American flag, while the left showcases one of three different badges representative of Air Force Special Tactics. The red swoosh on the jersey and pants, along with the red outline in the numbers, are a tip of the cap to the scarlet beret worn by Special Tactics Combat Controllers. On the back of the jersey will be AFSOC in the traditional nameplate. The pants will feature a dagger, a symbol of special operations, on the left leg and the Special Tactics Combat Control motto “First There” on the right leg. 

With a rich 30-year history, AFSOC boasts a legacy of Air Commandos who have excelled in missions globally. Air Commandos epitomize . They are known to push boundaries, embodying the ethos that humans are more important than hardware. Fueled by a warrior spirit and tenacity, they drive towards innovative solutions, serving as community leaders and unit pillars. 

Special Tactics is the Air Force's special operations ground force, using airpower to solve ground problems anytime, anywhere. Their missions include precision strike, global access, personnel recovery and battlefield surgery. They operate as independent Special Tactics teams and embed with joint SOF partners including the Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces and Marine Raiders. 

Special Tactics is the Air Force’s most decorated community since Vietnam with one Medal of Honor recipient and hundreds of Air Force Crosses, Silver Stars, Bronze Star Medals, and Purple Hearts. 

Forgive the long excerpt there. But when you're reading words like this, you can't remove any of them. Not with a precision-guided air-to-ground missile. What are you going to take out? The part about "resilience, leadership, and teamwork"? The pushed boundaries? "Humans are more important than hardware"? "Warrior spirit"? The decorations for valor in combat? Not a chance. I'm not worthy to edit this copy.

As an American, it's impossible to watch these images, see this uniform and read this explanation of how it was designed and not have your heart swell with patriotic zeal. Even as you hold your own manhood cheap in the presence of these mighty warriors. So I humbly suggest that we all promote this video. Send it around the world as much as possible. Let our enemies, both foreign and domestic, see what they are up against. What kind of young people this country is still able to produce as we approach our 250th birthday. Proud of their heritage. Honoring those who came before them. Blazing their own trail. On the ground, on the seas, in the air, and on the gridiron.

So let's proclaim to everyone around the globe - friends and enemies alike - in unison, with one loud voice, that these men stand ready to go “Any Place, Any Time, Anywhere.” And get there first. All while playing DI football. If anyone is interested in starting trouble, they're going to get it. More than they bargained for.