The story begins with an old James Ryan visiting the grave of Captain John Miller, who saved his life during World War II. The film then flashes back to 1944, where Captain Miller is tasked with finding and rescuing Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in action. Miller's team faces numerous challenges and casualties as they navigate through war-torn France to find Ryan. When they finally locate him, Ryan refuses to leave his post, and Miller decides to stay and help defend a bridge against a German attack. Despite being outnumbered, Miller's team fights bravely, but ultimately, Miller is fatally wounded by a German soldier he had previously spared. Before dying, Miller tells Ryan to "earn it" and make the most of his life. The film then jumps back to the present, where an elderly Ryan is seen visiting Miller's grave with his family, still grappling with the question of whether he lived up to Miller's expectations. His wife reassures him that he has, and Ryan finally finds peace.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The story begins in 1944 with an older James Ryan visiting the graves of American soldiers.
2. James Ryan is shown to be a war veteran who is overcome with emotion at the cemetery.
3. The story then flashes back to the events that led James Ryan to the cemetery.
4. The American landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy is depicted, where many soldiers died before they even set foot on the ground.
5. Captain John Miller is shown to have broken through the German defense line and taken up liberated positions.
6. The tide of the battle turned, and the Germans began to surrender, but the attackers killed everyone, even those who came out with their hands raised.
7. A soldier named Ryan died during the landing, and it is later revealed that he was not the only member of his family who died in the war.
8. Ryan's two brothers also died, and his younger brother James Ryan was presumed to be alive.
9. The command decides to send a detachment to search for James Ryan and return him to headquarters, so that his mother will not receive three funerals at once.
10. Captain Miller is given the order to find Ryan and recruits his best guys for the mission.
11. The detachment includes Corporal Timati Abham, who does not speak German or French and has never been in combat before.
12. The group encounters various obstacles, including a destroyed town, German soldiers, and a French family who asks for their help.
13. Private Parzu is killed by a German sniper, and the group continues their search for Ryan.
14. They eventually find Ryan, but he is not willing to leave his fellow soldiers, and Captain Miller decides to stay and help hold a bridge.
15. The group prepares to defend the bridge against a German unit with tanks, self-propelled guns, and infantrymen.
16. The battle is intense, and many of the group members are killed, including Private Jackson and Corporal Stanley Mellisha.
17. Upham hides on the stairs and hears the dying cries of his colleagues, but eventually kills the German who killed his friends.
18. Captain Miller is wounded and killed by the same German he had previously spared.
19. Allied aircraft arrive, and the Germans retreat, and Upham kills the German who killed Captain Miller.
20. Captain Miller's last words to Ryan are that he deserved to be saved and that Ryan should live his life so that the sacrifices of the soldiers were not in vain.
21. James Ryan returns home, gets married, and has children and grandchildren, who come with him to visit Captain Miller's grave.
22. Ryan's family is grateful for the sacrifices of the soldiers who fell in battle, which gave them the opportunity to be born and grow up in a world without fascism.
23. James Ryan is still haunted by the question of whether he was worthy of living his life, but his wife reassures him that he lived up to Captain Miller's expectations.