The Atlanta Falcons will honor two severely wounded Georgia combat veterans Sunday.
They are Marine Corps Corporal Sean Adams (Ret.) who grew up in Gainesville and Army Master Sergeant Cedric King (Ret.). The pair will be recognized prior to Sunday's game in Atlanta against the Arizona Cardinals.
They will serve as Honorary Team Captains "for their patriotic service and heroic sacrifice," according to a news release from the Falcons, which goes on to say "they will have the opportunity to join the team on the practice field and participate in the pre-game festivities, including the ceremonial coin toss. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program is providing Cedric and Sean specially adapted smart homes with the help from local Atlanta supporters, The Marcus Foundation and The Home Depot Foundation, among many others."
King joined the military in 1995 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. After changing his focus from aviation operations specialist to infantry, he graduated from the US Army Ranger School. In 2012, during his third deployment, his platoon fell under machine gun fire. Once the firefight ended, King proceeded forward, only to step on a pressure plate improvised explosive device (IED, sustaining disfigurement on his right hand. In addition, both of his legs were amputated.
Adams enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school. According to the Falcon's release, the 9/11 terrorist attacks had a "profound" impact on him. In 2012, while on patrol in Afghanistan, Adams stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). The blast took both of his legs above the knee, injured his right and left hands as well as his right arm. He also lost partial vision in his left eye.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/11/473796/falcons-to-honor-two-georgia-soldiers-sunday-one-from-gainesville