SYNOPSIS:

An Air Force Sergeant Timothy Smith is recuperating in Panama City Beach, FL after his deployment in Afghanistan. Unwilling to get counseling for PTSD, his wife takes the kids and moves back to Tennessee. Emotionally devastated, he spends hours alone on the beach staring into the water. Flashbacks of his time in the war zone are triggered by beach combing dogs, fireworks and simply building a sandcastle. When people see him sitting alone, they try to strike up conversations to no avail. Until one day Jaylen, a 9 year old boy visiting his grandparents for Thanksgiving, befriends him. Jaylen is glad to finally have both parents home for the holidays. However, after Thanksgiving dinner, the military parents are ordered back to support a devastating blizzard in Washington DC. Jaylen is furious at the thought of spending another holiday without them. He resents them for their military service and starts to act out. While walking the beach Jaylen sees Timothy, wearing Air Force gear and starts talking with him. Timothy is initially gruff and distant. But as they hang out, a friendship develops which softens both of their stances on life, family and the military. As the days go by the pair have fun building sandcastles, fishing and playing ball. Timothy even enjoys the occasional meal with the grandparents as he allows them into his world. But when the parents return the day before Christmas, Timothy becomes jealous and retreats back into his shell, back in the beach chair staring into the water. With Jaylen now spending time instead with his dad, Timothy is once again alone. But a chance invitation to a seaside church services flips the script on his misery.

WOUNDED WARRIOR'S CHRISTMAS