"Veterans Day" is a special half-hour episode in the Hey Arnold! TV Series.
Synopsis[]
Arnold's Grandpa recalls his adventures as a soldier in the Second World War, outwitting a regiment of Nazis, while Gerald's dad, Martin, remembers his own time serving in Vietnam.
Plot[]
It's Veterans Day weekend and Arnold and Gerald are having trouble deciding how to spend their extra day off from school. At dinner that night, Grandpa wants to tell his story of how he helped defeat Hitler and the Nazis in World War II, only to be met with disinterest. This annoys Grandpa and he sadly goes to eat his dessert, only to discover Oscar stole it. Wanting dessert, Grandpa takes Arnold to the ice cream shop where they run into Gerald and Martin. While Arnold and Gerald play a video game, Grandpa tells Martin about how no one wanted to listen to his story. Martin sympathizes, having served in the Vietnam War and never getting to tell anyone about his experiences. They lament that, unlike in Washington D.C., everyone in Hillwood just treats Veterans Day as a day off from school and work. Realizing that D.C. is just a short drive away, they decide to take the boys on a trip there to teach them the real meaning of the holiday and tell their war stories. Gerald is excited to hear about his dad's experiences while Arnold thinks his grandpa will just tell more tall tales.
Grandpa goes first and relates his experience during the Battle of the Bulge. Under orders to dump some spoiled cans of cham, he got lost and blew a truck tire. He then initially tells a typically over-the-top story involving his single-handedly defeating Hitler in a fistfight, but Arnold calls him out on making that up. Grandpa tells them that he was actually captured by an entire Nazi regiment. Upon discovering the cham, he managed to convince them that the cans were regular provisions, and they all ate it. The regiment fell ill with violent food poisoning, creating a breach in the enemy lines. The Allies managed to get troops through the breach, and it was vital to helping them end the war.
Martin goes next and Gerald is eager to hear if his experience was just as exciting. However, Gerald is disappointed to learn that his dad, due to being sick with the flu during most of basic training, mostly just worked as a desk clerk, after he accidentally shot his regiment’s colonel, and saw very little actual combat. The closest he got to combat was driving through an area where a battle had taken place and finding a man named Private Miller who was bleeding. Martin used some files to make a bandage for him and went on his way. At a motel later that night, Arnold is convinced that Grandpa's story was all made up while Gerald dismisses his dad's job as a paper pusher, something Mr. Johanssen is sad to overhear.
The group makes it to D.C. the next day and visits several monuments and watches the Veterans Day parade. Later on, Grandpa and Arnold wonder off on their own in the woods so Grandpa can show Arnold something. He shows Arnold a monument of him that confirms his entire story. Arnold is happy to learn his grandpa really was a hero and he can tell an honest story.
Meanwhile, Martin and Gerald are at the Vietnam War Memorial. Martin tells Gerald he knows that Gerald's disappointed that he wasn't a big war hero, but Gerald says it's okay and he knows his dad did his best. Right after this, they are approached by the same Private Miller that Gerald's met back in Vietnam. It turns out that Miller was bleeding to death when Martin came across him and his emergency first-aid ultimately ended up saving his life--Private Miller goes on to explain that he's been waiting twenty years to personally thank him for saving his life, which Martin is very touched by. Martin introduces Gerald to Private Miller, who claims that Gerald's dad is a real hero. Private Miller then introduces his own family (his wife and their son and daughter) to Martin and Gerald--Private Miller's wife and daughter seem very moved while his son salutes Gerald's dad. Both families watch the big fireworks presentation as the episode ends.
