Think about the meaning of the second scene

Rating: Null/10 (14 September 1998)

I went into Saving Private Ryan with high hopes. As someone who has followed Spielberg's career since Jaws, I knew I would be put through the gamut of emotional responses during the movie.
What I wasn't prepared for was the second scene. I sat quietly through the recreation of the landing at Normandy, through the endless body parts being pitched into the air. I was horrified at the sight of the armless soldier searching for his severed limb, the men trying to get out of the water before they drowned only to be cut down by bullets before they could. I felt the tears well up in my eyes at the sights of these brave men, some of whom could have been my older uncles (my family fought there), giving their lives so that all of us could be free.
Watching the screen fade from the shot of the dead soldier, sorrounded by dead fish in a red-hued sea change to the office of the war department. Dozens of women typing letters to the families of those lost on the battlefield. The tears didn't stop, they came on full force. Luckily, my family was spared the horror of one of those letters, the visits by high -ranking men in uniforms coming to tell mothers and wives that their men wouldn't be coming back. But, I felt for them. All the battles, all the training, all the pride of having a family member fighting to keep the world free of evil meant nothing more than a letter home typed by a faceless secretary and passed along for signing. Not that I'm putting down what these women did for the war effort. They had their jobs to do as well. It just touched me to no end to see this. One minute a soldier is a brave man, fighting for his country and freedom, the next he is nothing more than a letter and a folded flag.
I hope everybody, who sees this film, doubles their efforts in making sure we as a species NEVER have to do that again. Show this to future generations, along with Schindler's List, make them aware that the war did happen, that this kind of evil is possible. We have had too many Rambos. It's time we looked at the war the way it was; brutal, cruel and took the lives of too many men before they had the chance to live their lives.
My hat is off to Mr. Spielberg once again. Don't let us forget.