In the story a group of soldiers go looking for Private Ryan. They are in France, fighting the Germans, so they need a French/German Translator. When the pick up the Corporal, he mentions that he hasn't shot his rifle since Basic, and his clothes are still pressed, even for being on the beach head.
In the final climax where they have to fend off the Germans from crossing a particular bridge. A German soldier makes it into the room where we have a machine gun nest and two soldiers. one gets shot in the throat, and bleeds out, the other begins to fist fight with the German, meanwhile, our 'fearless' translator is making his way up to the room, knees trembling but gun in hand. The German, being an SS, pulls out his knife and manages to stab the other surviving soldier. Where is our translator? the one to kill our German? Stuck on the stairs. when the German comes walking down, he takes his hand off the gun and lets the German soldier walk by. Later on, we watch as the same soldier kills another one of our beloved soldiers, and fatally wounds the Captain. I count 4 U.S. Soldiers dead in this fire fight because of one German, three of them could have been saved with one pull of a trigger.
The comment that was said was to the point of 'He just had too much of a heart to kill someone'
I was a little upset by this comment, as i see it, I could have been the one soldier in the nest fighting for my life, when my Battle Buddy is sitting by? I understand that killing is difficult, but I hope that the ones I am in a foxhole with value my life as much as I value theirs. Which lead to the question of the week
Would you Kill 1 person to save 4 loved ones?
