Navy Lt. Jim Lloyd (call sign Zeke) had just returned home from a trip when his neighbor – also an actor – presented him with an opportunity that he couldn’t resist.
Lloyd, who served 10-and-a-half months in Vietnam more than 50 years ago, sent an application in for an ad that Comcast was running called “The Aviators.” He got an introductory email the following day to set up an interview.
Lloyd grew up in a military family, but he wanted to find his way to the military his own way. He had four months left to graduate when he found out that the Navy was looking for pilots. The one caveat: he had never even flown in an airplane before.
“That was the first time the Navy saved my life,” Lloyd explained, as he surveyed Dover Motor Speedway. “When the Navy flew me in for my physical from college that was the first time that I was ever in an airplane – any plane.”
The advantage Lloyd said that he had was that the Navy didn’t have to un-train him with how it flies planes. The Navy wanted to challenge its members.
“As soon as you get comfortable, they take it away by giving you a harder plane to fly in the syllabus,” he said. “I was open to that, because I was like a lot of guys, I didn’t have any flight experience.”
Last Friday, April 26, Lloyd, along with former Navy Cdr. Jack Gillett (call sign Razor), former Navy Lt. Bill Moir (call sign Offender) – all of whom flew together as members of the Gunslingers Squadron on the USS Saratoga – and Maj. (Ret.) Elester Latham (call sign Hollywood), a former Air Force pilot, were honored at the Dover Air Force Base.
Waiting for them was Bubba Wallace, who was set to drive a specially branded Xfinity car at Dover in a partnership with the United States Air Force. The No. 23 Toyota paint scheme was inspired by The Flying Tigers that flew during WWII from 1941-1942. Their design also inspired the A-10 Warthog paint scheme. All four Vietnam veterans’ names were on the decklid of Wallace’s car. The four veterans were also the grand marshals for the Wurth 400.
Seeing the paint scheme up close was special for Lloyd, who was attending his first NASCAR weekend.
“It’s completely unbelievable,” he said. “Bubba’s car is beautiful. Just ecstatic that our names are on the car. It’s hard to find words to describe how wonderful this whole thing has been from the very beginning since last October until present day.”
During the race,…
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