"The boy's alive. We are gonna send somebody to FIND him. And we are gonna get him the HELL...out of THERE." Chills. No matter how many times I hear it. Chills.

The comment about the Sullivan brothers was about 5 brothers all serving on the a cruiser the USS Juneau. She was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine and all 5 brothers were lost. After that the military didn’t allow siblings to serve in the same unit so it lessened the chances of an entire family getting erased. Later in the war a destroyer was named in their honor the USS “The Sullivans” DD-537. The ship survived the war and you can visit it today as a museum ship in Buffalo, NY. In keeping with the name of traditions the US navy has a current active destroyer named “The Sullivans”

To have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom. What a line

mom collapsing onto the porch is the heart of the film...made more excruciatingly poignant by the probability that she is wondering "which one...?"

Best cameo appearance in a movie ever - Harvey Presnell portraying General George Marshall reading Abraham Lincoln's American Civil War letter to Mrs. Bixby is the best two minute performance on film ever.

The opening battle overwhelms you mind and then this scene overwhelms your heart. What a masterpiece.

This is the real tear jerker of the entire movie. Imagine losing three kids at one time. The mother...

Useless Film Trivia: The cast were told that he would read a letter to them - they were *not* told what letter it was. Their stunned reactions to that reading are completely genuine.

When I first saw this, I wasn't a parent and I was like "Yeah, that's pretty sad". Now, as a parent with two young boys the scene devastates me every time I see it. Absolutely heart-wrenching scene.

George Marshall is, in my view, the greatest man America has ever produced. A genius, a diplomat, a civil rights pioneer, the architect of the reconstruction of Europe and Japan, and the commanding general of the arsenal of democracy. Cities should be renamed for him. Countries should celebrate his birthday as a national holiday. His greatness cannot be overstated.

I first saw this scene when I was 18. Now, with a son of my own it makes my chest tighten with an existential grief at the thought of him in a war.

My Uncle Dave was 101st airborne. My dad lied to get in the Army Air Corp. He was17. Neither one ever talked about. My dad would only say he remembers being scared. My heroes

Abraham Lincoln--historians have tried for 150 plus years to comprehend his uniqueness and greatness.

Some history: the banner at 3:14 has a star for each family member serving in the military. In the event that that person is killed, the star representing them is replaced with a GOLD one, in honor of their sacrifice & loss. There was even a support group called "The Gold Star Mothers'...!

To be honest, it was NEVER the reading of the letter that got to me. It was the scene immediately BEFORE it where the car pulls up to the mother's house, and she falls out of fear of losing ONE son, but we the viewers know that it is far worse than she could possibly imagine with learning about losing THREE of her sons at the same time. That was always the part that tore me apart.

I thought Harve Presnell's reading of the Bixby letter was an amazing moment in the movie. How he started reading it and then finished the letter looking off having memorized it. That whole clip was heart breaking but Gen, Marshall set the tone for the movie.

Abraham Lincoln was a master of the American language. This has become a staple at get togethers on Memorial Day. I've read this at least 20 times. Never without my eyes filled with tears.

Who ever wrote that scene. Wrote a masterpiece. Especially when he wasn't looking at the letter. He had memorized the letter. Beautifully done.

As I have lost a friend in combat in 2012, I can never forget his mother grief at the funeral and it haunts me every day. We must remember America's fallen!!

Love the Bixby letter! Lincoln was a great writer and orator.

I was proud to have served in the U.S. NAVY many years ago. What comes to mind is the Sullivan brothers. Five went down on the same ship. I can see the hurt on the faces of these ladies, and I wonder, after all the faces that cried so many tears,why do we do this to ourselves. War is a terrible thing...our loses are unforgivable.

The Mother can hold out hope until the priest get's out of the back, then she's sure about what the visit means...but WE know it's way worse than she can imagine. Heart breaking moment.

Very powerful scene. 400,000 of these letters were done. Thank you gentlemen for your sacrifice.

5 Sullivan brothers were killed while serving on cruiser USS Juneau while was sunk during WWII.

I hope all of the reactors realize how realistic this is. WW2 vets saw it and hap breakdowns.

No matter how many times I've watched these scenes, they still hit just as hard.

Thank you for your service, Veterans. What you have done means everything for our Liberty. May our Flag fly Boldly, Unimpeded, and Beautifully today and always.

As someone who has watched that car pull into my drive way, these reactions always kill me.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Excerpt from "For the Fallen", by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

There is a KZfaq of Orson Wells, when he called George C Marshall the "greatest man he ever met." I was assigned to do a report on General Marshall when I was in fourth grade, and he has always been one of my heroes. A man of unmatched loyal, integrity, and honor, who always deferred to the greater good than his own personal glory or gain. A man who wanted to lead D-Day and was promised the assignment by FDR, but deferred when FDR told him he would not be able to sleep with him away from Washington. One of America's most underrated, as in the video Orsen Wells would call him, human beings.

The greatest act of bravery in a film of so many was Mrs. Ryans dignified walk fron the kitchen to the front porch.

Having lost my brother in Vietnam it takes an unmeasurable toll on the mother

As my parents once told me: When you're visited by a telegram boy, it could be good OR bad news. When a staff car arrives, it's NEVER good news. This is why Mrs. Ryan "knew". It was a matter of which? How many? Such a powerfully emotional scene.... & w/ today being a cloudy, rainy Memorial Day, perfect to remind me of why I have a holiday today....

I saw this film with my father-in-law a WWII vet and was the youngest person In the theater and not a dry eye in the house thanks to men like Jean Stone and the generation that saved us from dictatorship and tyranny

That was insane editing Leb. You deserve a raise for this one!

My Dad was a Korean War combat Vet. He had real trouble with the Omaha Beach scene, he had to get up and go out for a few minutes. He no more than came back in, before he had to go out again. This scene broke him up as well.

I just want to say something about what this movie meant to some people. My buddies and a few girls when we were sixteen/seventeen would get our older friends to buy us some beer and sneak it into the movie theatre and watch whatever big release came out that weekend, having a grand old time as degenerate kids. When we watched this movie, once we saw this, we put our beers down and we watched. And cried. We hated war and we loved our country and our freedom. Two of us were brave enough to love the latter more than we hated the former, and after 9/11 three years later, they left very good colleges to enlist. One ended up marine infantry and saw tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The other ended up in naval intelligence and died somewhere in Afghanistan in 2006. We don’t know where exactly. Maybe his family does by now. Honestly, it’s easier for me not to look to hard into the whole thing. I think back at this moment, at this movie, when we all sobered up, literally, and realized the world was real and sad and full of sacrifice; when some of us decided that if it came to a fight, they’d fight. I’m not proud to say I wasn’t one of those two. I’m sad to say one of those two is gone. I’m honored he was my friend.

I couldn’t imagine doing this job god bless the veterans and troops bruv

This film is based on a true story. There's been several situations since the Revolutionary War where all of the men of the same family were killed in battle. My father served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War twice. He enlisted and served his tour only to come home and go right back to serve again, in the place of his twin brother who had just been drafted in the Army. He had written to his congressman asking for permission to serve for his brother so he wouldn't have to go.

as a baby boomer..with both my folks and grandfolks lived through both the Great Depression and WWII... this movie was their reality (and everyone's)... they were my forebears... and I honor and love them... I hope I earned... WL Ridley PhD

I have Saving Private Ryan saved on my DVR and from time to time I play the movie. This part always hits hardest. In the small Wisconsin farming town I grew up in during the late 1970's I remember visiting the local VFW Hall and talked to the veterans, many of them survivors of the War in the Pacific. The pain they felt inside their souls came through when I heard them reminisce (recount) (recall) those days from their youth fighting for our nation. They were especially fond of those they left behind, those friends, comrades or relatives who did not come home. It is impossible not to tear up and cry. Thank you for posting this reflective moment with these viewers.

the five Sullivan brothers all were killed in 1942 when their ship the. Juneau was sunk by submarine.

Extremely powerful drama. I have watched this numerous times and brings a tear for each. When the mother goes out on the porch maybe expecting one letter, receiving three, when she sinks down. Your reaction to this will tell you whether you are human or no.

Lincoln had such a powerful way to articulate his feelings as the Bixby letter is one example of that, and it's extremely moving! This scene is one that hits hard, but perhaps the most powerful scene in movie history, to me, is at the end when Captain Miller tells Ryan to " Earn this". Not just words meant for Ryan but especially to all of us. Those men sacrificed everything to make the world a better place and a 2nd chance to reshape this world in a better way. Earn this for me, is directed at all generations. I sure hope the world never sees such destruction as these men endured. This movie will stand the test of time. Such a great tribute to all those courageous men who served in that horrible war. Thanks for sharing this video!!

General Marshals story is often forgotten but he was a generals general who sought no glory for himself, only service to his men and country.

This heart destroying scene is made even more powerful by the perfection of John Williams’ beautiful score. The slow, unassuming build up leads us to the inevitably wrenching moment when this mother collapses into her life-altering grief. And the unspoken visual portrayal of her grief, aided so profoundly by the glorious music, makes her grief ours.

There will never be a time I don't cry watching this scene.

The four blue stars in the window represents four sons in service. After they're KIA, the families are issued gold stars to replace the blue.

The scene of the mother collapsing is possibly the most poignant scene. The two Niland brothers (who the movie is based on) that died on June 6th and June 7th 1944 are buried beside each other at the Colleville cemetery over Omaha Beach. The 3rd brother was believed KIA in the far east but was found alive.

Credit to Amanda Boxer, who carried one of the most powerful scenes in film history without ever saying a word.

❤ to all the reactors but especially Nia, Simone, Dasha, Emily....well hell, all of them 😂

Love Seeing Everyone's Reactions

The English language isn’t used in this way anymore, such compassion and emotion in these words

Harve was such a brilliant actor and singer. He read that letter superbly and then just looked at his team and recited the rest of it from memory. If you want to hear him sing just type Maria Paint Your Wagon and sit back and listen to the masterpiece 👏👏👏👏👏👏

This movie is a must at anytime but especially now

I do love how you put every reactor's channels under their inserts when they first show up. Far FAR better than what so many compilation channels do. Everyone tears up with the echoed voices of what the telegrams all say (as they should) but I wonder how they'd reaction to knowing that thanks to the Battle of the Somme, entire villages in northern England lost an entire generation of men, brothers/father/sons, in less than a day.

Every time I see this movie and Mrs. Ryan collapses on the porch, I can't help but well up at all those sons and fathers that never came home. Five of my great-uncles never came home, thankfully my grandfather was too young to enlist or be drafted before the war ended.

This IS.... without question, the MOST poignant moment in the movie....and the acting is on point.....

My brother was a school teacher for kids, that were moved out of the regular classroom, to the 'troubled' kids school. Dozens were killed or died of drugs before they graduated. Once in a great while, with the appropriate students, he showed the first 15 minutes of SPR to the class. The class that reached the end of high school at least. The 'punks' in class are talking at the start, but after a minute the room grows silent, and remains silent, until it ends. Even those immature kids have a better appreciation of human life, especially the lives of American soldiers, than some politicians. It is a giant step for them, to even fall under the shadow, of a man like Abraham Lincoln. I have the greatest respect for people who risk their lives to save the life of another. Firemen, rescue workers, police, soldiers, even medical personnel. And, perhaps most of all, the parent dedicated to their child's survival for so many years. Then to send them off to war, and all you get back is a letter. This must not be the future of the world.

Really good editing of these reactions- to this most moving, transformative scene, from honestly, one of the best movies ever made

Great compilation....this film is- a- masterpiece- the absolute top of Spielberg's game...

The second you see that staff car rolling up your driveway...ya. You would know. This happened over and over. Countless times, all across the USA.

This was a great compilation & just reminds me EVERY American🇺🇸 should watch *(Saving Private Ryan)*

I remember watching this part in the movie with my mother and sisters. they were all tearing up/crying. me being a young boy could never understand the tought of carring 4+ boys to fighting age only to recave the news they all died.

I like when this youngsters are asking "what is she comparing letters." I saw this movie when I was about their age and I ALREADY KNEW THAT IT WAS MULTIPLE KIA's FOR ONE FAMILY. History does forget after all. It cannot be fixed.

I don't know how they do it nowadays but back then when you see a Military Vehicle pulling up to your house there was a Chaplain in the car too and you knew. Salute to GOLD STAR Families.

God bless all the courageous veterans with nerves of steel who risked everything and sacrificed so much to protect our countries and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today! God bless all the souls - military and civilian - that we have lost in times of war! God bless America! God bless us all and grant us peace!

Price of freedom is very high, many lives have been lost in the past for that cause. Sadly, some people today can not comprihand that fact and they took all the benefits of living in a free society for granted. So ungrateful

I love how real this scene is toward the true cost of war people die they have families loved ones war is cruel and infinitely painful.

Another great mashup as always! Outstanding job! 😀

About a year ago, I was driving around Pensacola with my wife one weekend. I remember stopping at a traffic light and noticed that the SUV in front of us had a double gold star family Florida license plate and a decal which read “OEF/OIF Mama”. I remember my wife looking at me asking “What’s the matter?” because she noticed I was getting teary eyed. Once I pointed out the plate to her, she understood.

Marshall was a tremendous leader.

thats why we stand for the national anthem and flag, we stand for the dead who gave their lives for us also for mrs. ryan, mrs bixbee and the thousands of mothers, daughters , wives, husbands , children ect. whatever your problem is with the country, its minuscule to the good we stand for.

It is absolutely criminal that this movie did not win the Best Picture Oscar! Shakespeare in Love is nowhere near as powerful or enduring as this film!

when the chaplin and a few officers show up at your door you know its bad for any military family member

The great Harv Presnell, a good solid actor and quite the musical star.... great boice....

When the scene with the mother came up you could just hear this sigh go up all over that theater and this is like 15 years after the movie came out.

Fantastic compilation and stunningly heartbreaking scene. I also want to give a shoutout to all the women who played the typists whose sole job was to spend all day doing nothing but manually typing a seemingly endless list of condolence letters…while trying to personalize each one even though I assume in the vast majority of cases they didn’t have the slightest idea who the soldiers were or how they actually died. I mention the actresses playing them because they were each on screen for just a second or two but it was a closeup of their faces, which had to convey all of that in a single brief shot.

Every one should watch this, it’s not just who served, but whole families barely survived the war, some not at all. Family names perished to serve and to be caught up in a conflict like this. We all need to learn from this.

Amazing reaction just amazing thank you for the post

Thank you to all the MEN who sacrificed their lives so we could live ours!

This movie was inspired by the 5 Sullivan brothers, who all died on the same ship in ww2.

Excellent reaction. Thank you all :)

Can only imagine how those ladies thought when typing out thousands of bereavement letters to families of those soldiers all through that war period...😥💔

At that point in time seeing military car driving up to your home she knew she had lost a son...only to be told 3 of her 4 were gone.......and they had no idea where the fourth was.

Amazing film, I remember the realism being jarring to me when I first saw it. My grandpa who fought in the war was in tears minutes into it.

This scene never fails to get me right in the feels.

Imagine waking up,every day waiting for another letter!I have 4 sons.When she saw them get out of the car she said to herself please let it just be 1.Getting it all at once is horrific, I couldn't wish that on anyone.Imagine the alternative?? Waiting day in @ day out.Every morning wondering if there will be another letter.For years.

I can think of only two men that had such command of the English language. Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill.

It was decided before this due to a similar situation, if all but one sibling in survive dies, the last is to be returned immediately, the Sullivan Act due to all 4 Sullivan brothers died together when their ship was sunk, that's why siblings can't serve together.

This was a time when you did what was right to save your fellow man. To stop a madman so others could be free! The men and women of our armed forces will lay down their life, so others may free..To give everything in the name of freedom ❤

There is a brief shot of a flag with four stars on Mrs. Ryan's house. The four stars represented the four sons she had who were fighting in the war. People were very proud that their sons were fighting Hitler and the Nazi's and the Japanese after Pearl Harbor. Those four stars showed her pride.

Epistinia Fyodorovna Stepanova (November 18, 1882 - February 7, 1969) was a Russian woman whose eight sons died in the war, the ninth son died of wounds received at the front

Everybody in the world should watch this clip and then they might understand what is truly important

During the Civil War, they kept men from the town together, thinking they would fight harder together. After a particularly bad firefight, all of the men in a town were dead.

My grandma lost both her brothers in ww2 sad times back then that was a real war

The thing that made me pause the film and break down is the scene of her breaking down she is only expecting one child to die not 3. I cannot imagine the hurt of that.

There isn't a word spoken in the scene where the mother learns what has happened to three of her sons...but it speaks volumes. It's an absolutely brilliant piece of cinema.

Gen Marshall demonstrated what manhood looks like in this scene.

I saw my mother collapse on the ground when we learned my brother was murdered. This hit home hard.