Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns is the Falcons' first home game in November, making it the annual Salute to Service game where the team gives recognition to our country's Armed Forces. It will also be a dream come true for a 98-year-old World War II veteran as he attends his very first Falcons game, thanks to Verizon Wireless and Second Wind Dreams, a non-profit dedicated to helping seniors age with dignity, as well as helping to make their dreams come true.
Edward Johnson spent three years during WWII as a Tuskegee Airman. His time in the service was served with the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps as a Link Trainer, teaching new pilots how to fly using instruments. He worked his way up to the rank of Sergeant before being discharged in 1945.
The team that's been with him through it all will take a moment to honor the sacrifice he made during WWII as a Tuskegee Airman during the first half of Sunday's game. Julie Johnson, one of his three daughters, will stand by his side.
Once out of the service, Edward Johnson didn't stop there when it came to making a difference in the lives of others. He became Atlanta's first African-American electrician to own his own company, Johnson and Wood Electric Company, hiring on students in college, teaching them everything he knew about electricity.
Johnson, known as a quiet man, is an Atlanta sports fan through and through. The Falcons, however, are the team that gives him the most joy. A fan since the team was established in 1965, he wears a Falcons hat almost every day, and roots for them on Sundays.
