Falcons players and John Abraham visit U.S. service members in Japan for NFL’s Salute to Service

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, defensive lineman Zach Harrison and outside linebacker Jalon Walker traveled with Falcons legend defensive end John Abraham as part of the NFL’s Salute to Service initiative, participating in an NFL-USO Tour across Japan to visit U.S. service members stationed overseas. The weeklong trip centered on bringing the NFL community into direct contact with military families, with players spending time at installations and taking part in football-themed activities designed for service members and their children.

According to the Falcons, the group’s Japan stop included visits to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo and the Army’s Camp Zama. At those locations, the touring group interacted with service members in their day-to-day work environments and spent time together with families, as the initiative combines league visibility with support for military communities. The tour also featured youth football clinics, skills challenges and special events intended to blend local engagement with the larger theme of recognition for service and sacrifice.

The Falcons’ release also emphasized the team’s broader involvement in the Salute to Service programming. Since 2016, Atlanta has participated in four USO tours, with the team noting that the Falcons’ travel and community events have reached thousands of service members around the world. The franchise’s tour history, as described by the Falcons, includes previous visits tied to military bases across Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, Iraq, Kuwait, Guam and Hawaii.

Harrison, one of the active Falcons players on the trip, described the experience around meeting the service members directly. In the Falcons’ account, Harrison said the best part was connecting with the service members and “seeing what they do,” adding that it felt like getting together with friends of a similar age once conversations began.

The Salute to Service effort is part of the NFL’s longer-running relationship with the USO. The NFL has highlighted the initiative as a way to recognize military personnel and bring league figures into those communities, including through USO-connected programming around special events such as Veterans Day observances.

For the Falcons, the Japan trip is a reminder that team-building is not limited to the roster side of the offseason. Player participation in these visits, especially alongside a franchise figure like Abraham, reinforces a culture of civic engagement that runs parallel to football operations, even as training camp and preseason preparations continue for NFL teams.

Looking ahead, the immediate storyline is how the Falcons and the league sustain these kinds of international visits each year and how that visibility feeds into continued leaguewide recognition of military-focused work. The NFL’s Salute to Service framework, paired with the USO’s on-the-ground presence, sets a template for what to expect next time Atlanta and other clubs rotate through overseas stops.