Memorial Day

The film tells the story of two soldiers from a German American family: Kyle Vogel (Jonathan Bennett) who serves with the 34th Infantry Division in Iraq in 2005 and his grandfather Bud Vogel (James Cromwell) who serves with the 82nd Airborne Division in Western Europe in World War II. They connect on Memorial Day 1993, when the 13-year-old Kyle finds his grandfather's footlocker during a game of hide and seek. Kyle strikes a deal with his grandfather to tell the stories behind any three objects he picks out of the footlocker, and the film proceeds to flash back to Bud's (played by John Cromwell) combat experience, interspersed with Kyle's experiences in Iraq. The three objects that young Kyle picks: A Walther P38 Bud took from an SS officer. A picture of Bud with his friend Sgt. Jack O'Hara (Sean Dooley). A fragment of a Stielhandgranate removed from Bud's back. A picture of Bud with his friend Sgt. Jack O'Hara (Sean Dooley).