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In August 1968, USMC 1st Lieutenant Barry Jones was shot multiple times as his platoon fought their way through the jungle during the peak of the Vietnam War. A bullet pierced his wrist and deflected off the Tudor Submariner he was wearing, critically damaging the fake watch in the process. As USN 3rd Hospital Corpsman Lorrie McLaughlin loaded Jones onto a helicopter for medical evacuation, Jones handed him the watch. It would remain with him for decades. On August 25, 2018, Jones received the fake watch back from McLaughlin, exactly marking the 50th anniversary of that life-changing day.
We were extremely fortunate to find out about this story just a few months later and to have the opportunity to tell it to all of you in the incredible two-part video feature The Long Return. Our video production team was able to tell not only the story of Jones and McLaughlin's history and reunion, but also the story of that incredible Tudor's restoration and its path back to ticking away on Jones's wrist. If you haven't already watched Part 1 and Part 2, stop reading right now and go do that. Seriously.
Barry Jones (left) and Lorrie McLaughlin (right) in Oregon in early 2020.
The watch, back on Jones's wrist.
The Tudor Submariner as it was given to McLaughlin in 1968.
While the combined 24 minutes of video tell an incredible story on their own, there's even more to this tale. So, I sat down with the team of HODINKEE producers, shooters, and editors who brought The Long Return to life over nearly two years, hoping to get a little more insight into how our most ambitious and human story was produced. This conversation includes Will Holloway (head of video and executive producer), Greyson Korhonen (producer and director of photography), David Aujero (producer and video editor), and James Stacey (editor and author), and they did not disappoint. Our conversation is a sweeping look at this epic journey with plenty of laughs and behind-the-scenes stories mixed in with the emotions that inevitably come with a feature like this. This is, without question, one of my favorite HODINKEE Radio episodes to date, and it was a real honor to talk to these guys about what is, in my opinion, the most incredible story we've ever told here at HODINKEE. I'll let them take it from here.
We hope you enjoy Episode 98 of HODINKEE Radio. Check out the show notes below, and let us know what you think in the comments.
ADVERTISEMENT Show Notes2:30The Long Return, Pt. 1
2:35The Long Return, Pt. 2
41:55Inside All Four Replica Rolex Manufacturing Facilities
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