The Cleveland Browns will turn Sunday’s game into a tribute to the men and women who serve, honoring military heroes during the team’s annual Salute to Service game, presented by CrossCountry Mortgage, when the Browns host the Houston Texans at Huntington Bank Field on Sunday, November 15. The team announced the plans on Thursday, November 12, through the Cleveland Browns’ official website.
As part of the NFL’s Salute to Service initiative, the Browns will transform gameday into what the team described as a stage of gratitude, showing the team’s year-round commitment to celebrating service members, veterans, and their families. The celebration is not limited to one moment on Sunday; the team said it has been marking the month with a series of events across Northeast Ohio.
On Tuesday, November 3, the Browns visited the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center – CARES Tower, where linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, running back Raheim Sanders, and Browns alumni Garrett Gilkey, Ben Davis, Frank Stams, Greg Pruitt, and David Mays spent time with veterans receiving treatment, sharing stories, taking photos, and recognizing them for their service and sacrifice, according to the team’s announcement.
Military families were also invited to Huntington Bank Field on Tuesday, November 10, in partnership with NEOPAT, to enjoy professional family photos, food, and time together as a way to thank them for their service and sacrifice. Linebacker Winston Reid and alumni Hanford Dixon, Greg Pruitt, Ben Davis, Reggie Langhorne, Garrett Gilkey, and David Mays were also at that event, the team said.
On game day, fans can join the celebration at Dawg Pound Drive, where active-duty military members and veterans are invited to visit the Dawg House by NJM Insurance and receive an exclusive Browns and NJM knitted scarf when they present their military identification to any brand ambassador on site. Browns alumnus Felix Wright will appear from 11 a.m. to noon to take photos and sign autographs, and Crown Royal will host the Purple Bag Project, which turns the brand’s purple bags into care packages for soldiers and veterans.
During the pregame ceremonies, the Navy Talent Acquisition Group, Ohio River Valley, will serve as the color guard, and the 8th Flying Squadron from Vance Air Force Base, flying a T-6, will perform a flyover across Huntington Bank Field. Veterans and their families invited by CrossCountry Mortgage, along with Browns Guest Services and season ticket members, will join to hold the full-field flag during the national anthem, performed by Sergeant First Class Temos Wooten with the 260th Special Purpose Brigade in Washington, D.C.
Throughout the game, members of the U.S. Army will perform push-ups in both end zones after every Browns touchdown. An in-game recognition will honor former Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly for his career in the U.S. Navy. Infantry Sergeant First Class and Readiness NCO Justin Marchand, who has dedicated 23 years of service, including four years on active duty in the Marine Corps and three deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, will be recognized in an in-game retirement ceremony. He is also a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal, the team said.
The Browns will also recognize representatives from all six branches of the U.S. military through the Hats Off to Our Heroes Honor Row, in partnership with USO. The honorees will enjoy field-level seating during the game and receive special in-game recognition after the first quarter.
At halftime, the Army vs. Navy skills challenge, presented by CrossCountry Mortgage, will see both branches go head to head for a grand prize donation to their respective foundations: the Fisher House Foundation for the Army and the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation for the Navy.
Assistant Team Physician Dr. Benjamin Boswell has been selected as the club’s 2026 NFL Salute to Service Award nominee. Dr. Boswell also practices at University Hospitals, the Browns’ official health care provider, as a primary care sports medicine and emergency medicine physician, while continuing his service as an Army Reserve officer, deploying to the Middle East three times as part of Operation Epic Fury, Operation Sledgehammer, and Operation Inherent Resolve. Fans can vote for their favorite nominee once a day at NFL.com/SaluteFanVote, with voting open through November 30; the three finalists will be announced in January and the recipient recognized at NFL Honors during the week of Super Bowl LXI.
The Browns said the annual Salute to Service game serves as a reminder that honoring the nation’s heroes extends beyond the field, and that through year-round community engagement the organization remains dedicated to supporting service members, veterans, and their families every day. Sunday’s kickoff against the Texans is the next step in that work, with the pregame and in-game tributes bringing the month’s events together in front of a home crowd in Cleveland.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY