Memorial Day (2012 film)

Memorial Day is a 2012 war film starring James Cromwell, Jonathan Bennett and John Cromwell, directed by Sam Fischer and written by Marc Conklin.

Memorial Day
Release poster
Directed by	Sam Fischer
Written by	Marc Conklin
Produced by	Craig Christiansen
Starring	Jonathan Bennett James Cromwell John Cromwell
Cinematography	Bo Hakala
Edited by	Bill Rammer
Music by	Paul Hartwig
Production company	Perspective Films
Distributed by	Image Entertainment
Release dates	April 21, 2012 (2012-04-21) (Minneapolis-St. Paul)[1] May 29, 2012 (2012-05-29) (United States)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4,200,000

Plot

The film tells the story of two soldiers from a German American family: Kyle Vogel 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 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 fragment of a Stielhandgranate removed from Bud's back
• A picture of Bud with his friend Sgt. Jack O'Hara

Cast

• Jonathan Bennett as staff sergeant Kyle Vogel
  • Jackson Bond as young Kyle Vogel
• James Cromwell as Bud Vogel, Kyle's grandfather
  • John Cromwell as young Lieutenant Bud Vogel
• Aaron Courteau as Frankie Califano, a soldier in Bud's platoon
• Sean Dooley as Bud's platooon sergeant Jack O'Hara
• Mary Kay Fortier-Spalding as Betty Vogel, Kyle's grandmother

Production

James Cromwell's son, John Cromwell, plays the young LT Bud Vogel of WWII.^[2]