3net - The 24/7 3D Network From Sony, Discovery and IMAX - Commemorates Memorial Day With Heartfelt Original Special 'SKY SOLDIER: A VIETNAM STORY IN 3D'

CULVER CITY, Calif., May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 3net, the joint venture 24/7 3D network from Sony, Discovery and IMAX – commemorates Memorial Day with the premiere of SKY SOLDIER: A VIETNAM STORY IN 3D Monday, May 28 (9PM ET/PT). The original, one-hour special – narrated by Bill Paxton – recounts the personal war-time journey of Major Joel Glenn, a Silver- Star-decorated two-tour soldier, who leaves his young wife and family and plunges head-long into service as a helicopter pilot in the Army at the start of U.S. combat involvement in 1965.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110105/PH25319LOGO)

An avid photographer his entire life, Glenn left behind an expansive archive of his visual craft –  tucked away for years at his family's farm outside of Gainesville, Fla. – including the world's only known 3D photographs taken of war-time Vietnam. Joel's widow Judy and son Tom also allowed the use of many of the voice "letters" exchanged during the family's time apart. Seen and heard for the first time, the immersive 3D photographs and voice recordings – along with modern day interviews with the Glenn family and his fellow soldiers in combat – offer a deeply personal, first-hand perspective of one of the most enigmatic times in American history. New 3D technology enables Glenn's photographs to be experienced as never before.

"We continue to break new ground with brave and compelling 3D original 'firsts,' and SKY SOLDIER: A VIETNAM STORY IN 3D is one of the most unique and immersive originals we've ever produced,'' said Tom Cosgrove, President & CEO, 3net. "As we celebrate Memorial Day – and all of the veterans who have served our country – we are privileged to bring our viewers a never-before-seen, highly personal perspective of one of the most well documented conflicts in our nation's history."

The special begins as Joel Glenn – a recent graduate of the University of Florida where he attended on a R.O.T.C scholarship – enters his life-changing time as a solider. After completing airborne training and Ranger School, in 1964 – with the growing need for pilots in Vietnam – he is selected for Army Flight School and later called to his first tour of duty in Vietnam. An avid photographer, Joel packs two things – his voice recorder and a 3D camera. Glenn documents his first tour with stunning 3D photography and heartfelt voice "letters" to Judy, determined to keep his young bride abreast of his daily life as a soldier and aviator in the conflict. 

Following a bout with cancer, later linked to Agent Orange exposure, the Glenn family detours to Germany where he is treated for testicular cancer. As soon as Joel clears flight status, he returns to Vietnam for another tour, serving as the commanding officer of an Army attack helicopter squadron and continuing his 3D photography and voice recordings. The special ends as Glenn, who eventually succumbed to cancer in 2007, ends his time as an Army Major in active combat, returning to his beloved Florida farm armed with a love of flight, a love of photography, a love of his family and his cherished photographs – the only 3D account of the Vietnam War in existence.

SKY SOLDIER: A VIETNAM STORY IN 3D was produced for 3net by Tom Jennings Productions. Tom Jennings and 3net's Vice President of Production and Development Tim Pastore serve as Executive Producers.

About 3net

3net, the joint venture of Sony Corporation, Discovery Communications and IMAX Corporation brings together three of the world's leading media, technology and entertainment companies to provide the nation's first and only fully programmed, 24/7 3D network. The three partners deliver an extraordinary collection of award-winning 3D content, technology and production expertise, television distribution and operational strength to the project, with a mission to bring viewers the highest quality and most immersive in-home 3D viewing experience possible. The channel features the most extensive library of native 3D content in the world, including genres that are most appealing in 3D:  natural history, documentary, action/adventure, travel, history, kids and family, lifestyle and cuisine, concerts, movies, scripted series and more. 3net is currently available on DIRECTV channel 107. For more information, please visit www.3net.com.

For photography and additional information, please visit the 3net’s press site: http://press.discovery.com/us/3n/programs/sky-soldier/.

SOURCE 3net