KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If anyone would know how to kick off the Fourth of July weekend, it’s probably Mabel Johnson.
A World War II veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, the 106-year-old Johnson has seen her share of the nation’s birthdays.
The Olathe, Kansas, resident celebrated this year’s birthday by throwing out the first pitch at Friday night's Kansas City Royals game.
We were honored to have Mabel Johnson, a 106-year young WWII Coast Guard Veteran throw our ceremonial first pitch tonight! Thank you for serving our country and great pitch, Mabel!#TogetherRoyal pic.twitter.com/dox9FmZcLA
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 3, 2021
Johnson has been a Kansas resident since 1991, when she moved to the Kansas City area with her husband, who also served during WWII, and their children, according to a U.S. Coast Guard blog post.
This story was originally published by Sam Hartle at KSHB.