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As the college football season approaches in just seven days, schools and teams are all involved in revealing uniforms that will likely be used during the upcoming season. One such reveal that seems to be creating much buzz on social media is that of the Air Force Falcons.
While volunteering to serve our great nation, this football program has decided on a special uniform series titled 'Air Power Legacy Series 2023 - Doolittle Raiders.' The amount of pride included in honoring these often forgotten American heroes is shown in every detail, right down to the leg stripes, which include the phrase "Toujours Au Danger" down the left leg and its translation "Ever Into Peril" down the right leg.
Introducing this special uniform series, which they plan to wear on October 21, 2023, for their game against the Navy Midshipmen, began with a video of news footage announcing the bombing of Tokyo, which was a direct response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Led by General James Doolittle, who is quoted as saying, "The Japanese were apparently entirely unprepared for our arrival," as well as, "You have struck the hardest blow of the war directly at the enemy's heart. You have made history." Their heroic acts are now enshrined into a gorgeous uniform that Head Coach Troy Calhoun's men will display with honor and dignity.
On the left side of the chrome dome is the will be the raid patch that is made up of elements to represent the 17th bombardment group as well as the four squadrons involved in the massive mission-the 89th Recon Squadron, 34th Bomb Squadron, 37th Bomb Squadron, and the 95th Bomb Squadron.
While the mission on April 18, 1942, only caused minor damage, it created a significant shift in the war plans of the enemy and significantly raised the morale of American soldiers, along with the public and allies abroad.
Since 2016, Air Force has honored multiple units of history, which include the "Flying Tigers" in 2016, the F-35 aircraft units in 2017, AC-130 units in 2018, the Tuskegee Airmen in 2020, and the "Space Force" in 2022.
This is not an unusual approach by the program, yet this one seems so much more impactful. With no surviving members of this mission left to tell about it, the Falcons do a remarkable job in detailing every part of the event through their social media postings that have coincided with the reveal.
The coordination with the uniform reveal could not have been possible without the incredible assistance from The National Museum of World War II Aviation as they provided the B-52 bomber used as the backdrop in numerous photos. The significance of this is that 16 of the B-52 aircraft were used in the attack along with 80 airmen and 32 pounds of explosives, and they used just 300 feet of runway to launch the game-changing mission.
As the 2023 season approaches kickoff, the Falcons can only hope to create the type of bonds among themselves as exhibited within Doolittle's Raiders. While the bonds of combat are unique, head coach Troy Calhoun hopes that his team can develop something similarly close to that, as they go into battle on the football field, with each team member having his teammate's back.
Will this be the Air Force unit that will develop a tradition of passing down a bottle of brandy much like the heroes of the Doolittle Raiders did until there were just two surviving members before opening the bottle? We shall see if that happens, but regardless, these Falcons certainly take pride in representing the United States Air Force as they honor America's heroes.
If you would like to purchase any merchandise related to this specific uniform series, you may do so here, with all proceeds going directly to Air Force student-athletes.
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