U.S Army share the incredible real life story that inspired Saving Private Ryan

What a film!

We've already spoken at length about the brilliance of Saving Private Ryan and as hard as it is to imagine, it has nearly been 20 years since we first saw the beaches of Wexford playeing host to that iconic recreation of the Normandy landings. Considered to be one of - if not THE - greatest war film of all time, Spielberg's epic won five Oscars including the Best Director nod and as may of you will know, the story was inspired by true life events. The plot for the film reads as such: "Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action." At the very start of the wonderful film, we see an elderly version of James Ryan (Matt Damon's character) as he visits the graves of his former band of brothers. What unfolds is his account of D-Day, the campaign in France and one of the most memorable films in decades. While many of us are familiar with the film, the U.S. Army have shared the real life story that inspired Spielberg's epic and it's absolutely fascinating. Take a look. https://twitter.com/USArmy/status/1010240374034575360 Here's the thread in full. https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010221030277894144 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010221317847691266 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010221598794764288 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010221882535284736 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010222152413515777 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010222456798437377 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010222773757767680 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010223053488508928 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010223334250962945 https://twitter.com/82ndABNDiv/status/1010223621703438336