The Sole Survivor Policy, which prompts the mission to retrieve Damon’s Private Ryan in the movie, was a real regulation. But who is his character based on? The four Niland brothers — Edward, Preston, ...

For 23 minutes, Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” drops audiences into the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach. Handheld cameras and low angles follow Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his squadron ...