The movie Saving Private Ryan is all about taking chances. Kind of like a game of chess. In the games of chess there are two sides, white and black. In the movie there are also two sides, the Nazis and the Americans. With each step you take there's a life or death chance, but in the game it's less serious you either win or lose. All in all, no matter if it's war or a childish game of chess there is always a winner.

Captain Miller gets a new mission which is to find Private Ryan. He gets the question, "How many men are worth one man's life?" This is a very important question in my opinion. I mean two of their own men have already died trying to find one person. Plus, we don't even know if Private Ryan is still alive but we have this gut feeling he is still out there... alive.

Captain Miller and his men thought Private Ryan was nothing to them. They had no clue why they were there to save one mans life. Few of the men had no choice but to join in the game of war it was an act by most in the 1940's. For them to lose their life and let another live in their eyes was useless. By the end of the movie their views did change, they finally realized that if they lose their life they might be saving a life, maybe even two lives. I think the second rangers follow Captain Miller because of his title as Captain.

If the mission was made of all volunteered men, I don't think it would be any different. In most war stories I have heard the person volunteer just to see if they would have a better life saving assignment. Therefore, the men that would volunteer would have cared just as much as Captain Ryan and his crew. I remember one of my History teachers telling a story about her husband being drafted for World War II. They asked for five men to stand and volunteer themselves, and her husband volunteered out of chance. He lived but many of the men that did not volunteer lost their lives. I am going to be honest. Me? Volunteer for war? No way. I don't think I would ever have the guts to do it. I don't like to get dirty and way too girly.

Captain Miller required Private Ryan to "Earn this. Earn it." Private Ryan didn't ask to be saved. He didn't need eight men to lose their life to save him. When he grows grey and old, he goes back to the cemetery. He wonders did he really earn it. I think in the end he did earn it. He let the Ryan name keep going for generations to come. Ryan has everything he ever needed. A wife, kids, grandkids that's all he really needs in life. If I was Private Ryan I wouldn't have lived my life any differently than him.

In conclusion, Captain Miller and his squad may have lost the war but they won their mission. Therefore, for them it's like they won the game of chess, they got exactly what they needed to win the game.