the night before the invasion." "He's somewhere in Normandy." " ls he alive?" " We don't know." "Come with me." "'Goddamit.'" "All four were in the 29th Division, but we split them up after the Sullivan brothers died on the Juneau." "Any contact with the fourth son, James?" "No, sir." "He was dropped about 15 miles inland near Neuville." "That's still deep behind German lines." "There's no way to know where the hell he was dropped." "First reports out of SHAEF said the 101st is scattered to hell." "There's misdrops all over Normandy." "Assuming Ryan survived the jump, he could be anywhere." "In fact, he's probably kia." "And frankly, sir, we go sending some sort of rescue mission, flat-hatting through swarms of German reinforcements along our axis ofit." "My dear Mrs Ryan, it's with a profound sense of joy that I write to inform you your son Private James Ryan is well and, at this very moment, on his way home from European battlefields." "Reports from the front indicate James did his duty in combat with great courage and steadfast dedication even after informed of the tragic loss your family has suffered in this great campaign to rid the world of tyranny and oppression." "I take great pleasure in joining the Secretary of War, the United States Army and the citizens of a grateful nation in wishing you good health and many years of happiness with James at your side." "Nothing, not even the safe return of a beloved son, can compensate you or the