Hundreds of soldiers enlist at halftime of Atlanta Falcons Game

ATLANTA, Ga. (WTVM) - The Atlanta Falcons hosted a call-to-service game today against the Minnesota Vikings. The concept stems from a meeting between Falcon’s leadership and military leaders at Fort Moore.

Recruitment is a top priority for the military right now, so the Falcons decided to pitch in. The highlight of the day was at halftime when hundreds of soldiers took the oath to enlist in the military. The ceremony also included an army rappel from Fort Moore’s 75th Ranger regiment.

The U.S. Army Chief of Staff administered the Oath of Enlistment to them. The football team’s president says the theme of their military appreciation games in the past has been “Salute to Service.”

New recruits like 20-year-old Logan Dann, a local employee with Marco’s Pizza, was also a part of the special halftime show at this Sunday’s Falcons game.

“My grandpa was in the Army. He was a 1st Lt. in charge of the munitions depot for a while during the Vietnam War. It was a bit of that and a bit of choosing of what my job was before signing on,” Dann said.

The greater focus on recruitment comes after the Army fell about 15,000 enlistees short of their goal last year.

One Army leader recently said, “If you’re a young man or young woman out there, looking for a sense of purpose, and a desire to be a part of a cohesive team...would like some securities in life, whether that’s financial security, health security, those things, I would highly recommend joining the military service.”

Sports Leader 9 will have more on-the-field action between the Falcons and the Vikings later on in Sports.

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