Monday, December 4, 2017

Army's "Pando Commando" uniform for the Army-Navy game



Climb to Glory:
The 85th, 86th and 87th Infantry Regiments joined together in Pando, Colorado on July 13, 1943 to form the 10th Light Division (Alpine). Soldiers at Camp Hale trained at 9,200 feet, honing their skills to fight and survive in the most brutal mountain conditions.

The panda bear is the mascot of Camp Hale, Colorado. The Railroad stop at Camp Hale was officially Pando, Colorado. While the division was at Camp Hale, this unofficial insignia appeared everywhere on signs, buildings, and even the division newspaper. Since the design was a cartoon, it was not accepted by the Army’s heraldry office.

...

William Jay "Bill" Bowerman organized the troops' supplies and maintained the mules. He was promoted to commander of the 86th Regimen's First Battalion at the rank of Major. Bowerman later became a track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc.
The tee is available.