A Christmas Visitor

A Christmas Visitor is a 2002 American television film starring William Devane, Meredith Baxter and Dean McDermott. It was written by George Samerjan and David Saperstein, and directed by Christopher Leitch.

George heads to watch over the towns veterans memorial and is accosted by several teenage punks, who are scared off by Matthew, a hitchhiker passing through town. As Matthew and George talk, Matthew claims to be a Gulf veteran who is the same age as John and served in the same regiment as John, although the two did not apparently know each other.George invites Matthew to spend Christmas with his family, asking him to tell his wife and daughter that he knew John while they served together. Georges ultimate plan is to get the family to once again celebrate Christmas, which works. But as Matthew makes up stories about he and John, George begins to wonder about Matthews true identity when his stories include details that only John would have known including a notable surgical scar from an athletic injury. ........

Source: Wikipedia