The Army Values in Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan starts off on D-DAY, June 6^th 1944. Captain John Miller storms the Omaha beach with his 2nd RangerRegiment, and despite high causalities succeeds on taking the beach. Next, a Major gives him an operation to rescue this private of the 101stairborne, Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Miller's job is to bring him home alive. Miller and his eight Rangers set out across France to find the private. After running into multiple firefights and losing a couple of their own soldiers, they find Ryan in a field with other soldiers of separate airborne groups  who have missed their drop zone. In the end, they hold a bridge at Rommel and with a small amount of soldiers are forced to fight a whole battalion of German forces. During the battle, Miller does everything in his power to keep Ryan alive so he can bring him home. All soldiers of the United States Army should watch this movie and understand the Army values within it to understand what it takes to live as a warrior. 

The first Army value is loyalty. Loyalty is shown in the movie by Cpt. Miller when he is sitting in the church with Sgt. Horvath and they both talk about how they have gone through hell and back. Miller explains how he has lost 94 men under his command and he continues to fight on because he knows it is the right thing to do. Miller shows how he is loyal to his men, especially Pvt. Ryan, by fighting across France to save his life and bring him home. 

The second Army value is duty. Cpt. Miller shows this value through his ability to complete missions not just by himself but through a team. He and eight of his Rangers work together to traverse across war torn France risking their lives to rescue one man. It is their duty to fulfill their obligations, especially if it is a task to rescue just one man. 

The third Army value is respect. When the Rangers take a radio tower, they have a German POW that Cpt. Miller decides to let go instead of shooting him for being the enemy, because he would expect the Germans to do the same if they captured Americans. Treat others with dignity and respect and expect them to do the same right back at you.

The fourth Army value is selfless service. After Cpt. Miller finds Pvt. Ryan, Ryan wants to stay and fight with the rest of his soldiers. Though Miller is against it, knowing the possible outcome, he stays with his Rangers and fights off the horde of Germans that storm through the town and try to take the bridge. Self less service is the commitment to push ones self a little further and go the extra mile for the welfare of the nation or for the soldiers. 

The fifth Army value is honor. Cpt. Miller and the Rangers stumble upon a radio tower that has a sandbag bunker fortified at the bottom. Miller realizes there are MG42 machine gunners stationed there and the only way to take the bunker is to charge up the hill. Miller realizes his objective is to win the war and if he and his Rangers don't fight to take the bunker, then the Germans will continue to pick off American troops that come by it. Honor is the most important of all because it expresses all seven of the Army values. 

The sixth Army value is integrity. Cpt. Miller has to find Pvt. Ryan and tell him straight forward that he has been called home. Integrity comes in because he tells Ryan straight up that his brothers are killed in combat. Instead of lying to him and beating around the bush to get him to come with them he tells him as it is. 

The seventh Army value is personal courage. Cpt. Miller during the Omaha beach invasion had to get his men moving up the beach to storm the machine gun nests. Miller constantly keeps pushing forward with his men to take the sea wall. Once the sea wall has been blown he pushes towards the machine gun nests and ends up blowing out the nests. This is an act of personal courage, standing up out of fear and doing what one has to do to get the job done.

Saving Private Ryan is a perfect example of showing the Army values. All soldiers of all branches especially the United States Army should be required to watch this movie so they understand what it takes to become a warrior that lives their values. Soldiers should learn and reflect on Cpt. Miller and his Rangers and understand that everything in war is all about fighting together as a brotherhood, using the Army values to keep that bond even through the worst times.