There are a number of emotionally affecting scenes during 'Saving Private Ryan', and the film effects different people in different ways, but most people would agree that the scene in which Rieben reads out the names of fallen soldiers from their dog tags is one of the most devastating. It brings home the toll of the human loss during the conflict.
Edward Burns, playing Rieben, wanted to do the scene justice, and truly convey how much serving soldiers would be hurt by the loss of their friends and colleagues. With that in mind, he ignored the fictional names on the dog tags and instead used the names of his real-life friends and loved ones. He felt it would help him to both understand and express the heartbreak of losing somebody that he cared about, and finding out in such a manner.