Xfinity Ad Shows Pilots Reminiscing On Their Flying Career
A new short film from Xfinity has been released to honor Military Appreciation Month. We have to admit, it’s a good one. This new Xfinity ad reuniting old fighter pilots will bring a tear to your eye.
The veterans served in Vietnam on the USS Saratoga. It was the first time commander Jack RAZOR Gillett, former lieutenant Jim ZEKE Lloyd, and former lieutenant Bill OFFENDER Moir had been face-to-face in 16 years.
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They were joined by Elester HOLLYWOOD Latham, who was as a Marine sergeant during the Tet Offensive and became a USAF major.
Zeke was shot down in enemy territory. Razor and Offender Came to Save Him
Zeke was actually shot down on a mission, surviving his way down into enemy territory. He was able to evade the enemy for 6 hours, before fellow pilots Razor and Offender showed up to help rescue him.
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He was offered the chance to go home. Instead, he stayed where he felt he belonged.
“When I got back to the safety of the fleet, I learned what the Navy did for me,” Zeke said. “So many risked their futures to help secure mine. When I learned that, I couldn’t go home. So, I continued flying until the war ended. The Navy tried to give me easier flights, but we were a northern carrier flying deep in the north, so that didn’t work all the time.”
A granddaughter helps her veteran grandfather and friends to fly again
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In the film above, a grandfather shares old tales with his granddaughter about flying the A-4 Skyhawk, as they get ready to reunite with his old friends. He shows her his flight gear and photos and belongings from his days flying. Scenes flash back and forth between his past and present, as he takes her on a trip down memory lane.
Here’s a story we did about how cool the A-4 was.
Anyway, in the film the grandfather wishes he could take his granddaughter flying with him. Inspired by his life, and wanting to fly with him, she decides to surprise them all with VR headsets to help them fly again. Using Xfinity internet.
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“Besides our veterans’ reunion, there’s another connection story happening here. This experience brings them closer together,” said Jim Elliott, executive creative director at GS&P. Elliot was inspired to create the film when he witnessed his sons showing his USAF veteran 90-year old father-in-law how to fly again with a VR headset.
“The truth is, these sorts of miraculous, intergenerational moments of connection are happening every day across the country, thanks to Xfinity,” he added.
An Oscar-winning Director, Cinematographer and Production Crew
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The film was made by a crew of Oscar-winners. It’s directed by Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker,” “Zero Dark Thirty”), who brought on two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer DP Greig Fraser.
Three-time Oscar-winning sound designer Paul N.J. Ottosson (“The Hurt Locker,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Fury”) also joined, along with the legendary Hanz Zimmer, a two-time Oscar-winning composer.
“It’s a real honor to work with our nation’s veterans,” Bigelow said in a behind-the-scenes documentary (watch above). “They’re special people, who’ve devoted their lives to our security. I feel like it’s my opportunity to give back.”
Xfinity Ad Highlights Pilots, It is also a leading employer of veterans in the country
Xfinity is a leading employer of veterans in the country. Parent company Comcast NBCUniversal was the nation’s No. 1 telecommunications company for veterans in 2022. They claim to have hired 21,000 veterans and National Guard and reserve service members, as well as military spouses, since 2015, gathering more than 9,000 employees in its Veterans Network employee resource group.
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Comcast is launching a new military benefits program for discounts. They are also donating $1 million to nonprofits serving the military community and working toward digital equity for this group.
“We’re a proud military-ready company that honors and celebrates what those who serve, those who’ve served, and their loved ones have done to defend the freedoms we enjoy,” said Mona Dexter, VP of military and veteran affairs at Comcast, a military spouse for over 25 years and a military mother. “Reunions like the kind depicted in the film represent the life-long devotion veterans have toward one another. It’s our company’s privilege to play a part in how these incredible men and women stay connected through technology.”