Black Rifle Coffee Company has just used motorsports for a particular purpose. The veteran-owned company that sponsors Noah Gragson and Ty Dillon among other athletes collaborated with the Hoonigan Media Machine to honor WWII veterans and highlight the Best Defense Foundation.
On November 8, BRCC and Hoonigan released “The Final Send,” a special video set in the streets of Boerne, Tex. Off-road racer “Texas” Dave Carapetyan plays Hank, a WWII veteran who receives a unique diagnosis from his doctor, BRCC co-founder Mat Best. He proceeds to steal a Hoonigan-modified Jeep and use it to tear through the streets of Boerne.
Carapetyan is not alone on the streets. He has BRCC co-founder Jarred Taylor in the passenger seat. He also has Sheriff Pastrami (Travis Pastrana) chasing him in a modified Subaru Brat police cruiser. As the two vehicles drift through the small town, numerous veterans of multiple wars appear in cameo roles.
The “police chase” takes up a significant portion of the video, but there is a special segment at the end. The entire crew heads to a house to enjoy a festive afternoon and highlight some veterans from “the greatest generation.” This list includes Ronald “Rondo” Scharfe, Fireman 1st Class, US Navy. He joins Sgt. Bill Casassa, US Army, and Wallace “Wally” King, 1st Lieutenant, US Army Air Corps.
The Video Kicked off a Veterans Day Celebration
Black Rifle Coffee Company/Hoonigan Media MachineBlack Rifle Coffee Company highlighted the Best Defense Foundation.
The video collaboration between BRCC and the Hoonigan Media Machine provided some entertainment to kick off the week. It also served as a reminder of the annual BRCC Veterans Day sale in which everything on the site is discounted by 20%.
Of course, the biggest part of the project was highlighting the Best Defense Foundation. This organization, founded in 2018 by former NFL linebacker Donnie Edwards, has a simple goal — Taking Care of the Ones Who Took Care of Us.
There are multiple focuses of the Best Defense Foundation. The first is the Battlefield Return Program, which Edwards uses to take WWII veterans around the world to places they served so that they can honor their comrades and gain closure. The list of locations visited includes Normandy, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, Guam, Saipan, and Tinian.
A second focus of the Best Defense Foundation is the Transition Program, which helps retired members of the Special Forces community return to civilian life. The third is preserving the stories of WWII veterans and using them to educate future generations about the heroism and sacrifices made.
“Every Veteran’s Day, we try to do something extraordinary to honor and champion the cause of military veterans, and this year, we were thrilled to collaborate with the incredible team at Hoonigan to create something truly special. If you couldn’t tell from the video, we all had a lot of fun with this,” said Evan Hafer, CEO of Black Rifle Coffee Company.
“It’s one thing to showcase the amazing skills of Travis and Texas Dave but promoting Best Defense Foundation by featuring actual war heroes and veterans throughout the video is what we’re most proud of.”
Filming Took Place Over Multiple Days
Bringing “Final Send” from concept to final product was not a simple matter, even for two companies with extensive experience cranking out media projects. Creating the video required considerable time, as well as cooperation from Boerne and its first responders.
The filming of the high-speed project took three days as the crews filmed on roads near Hill Country Mile in downtown Boerne. They had support from the Boerne Police Department and the Boerne Fire Department as they shut down multiple streets from Monday, September 19, until Wednesday, September 21.
Nearly two months later, the project is ready for release. Residents of Boerne, as well as people around the world, will finally see “The Final Send” as they prepare for Veterans Day.
“Putting these amazing Hoonigan vehicles through the paces with Dave was a blast, but to shine a light on these war heroes and Best Defense Foundation made this project extra special,” Pastrana said in a press release. “The team at Black Rifle Coffee Company is doing incredible things for the veteran community, and it was an honor and a privilege to tear up the streets of Boerne for such a worthy American cause.”
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Black Rifle Coffee & Hoonigan Honor WWII Veterans With ‘The Final Send’