As with all great stories, there's a pinch of truth to the story of 'Saving Private Ryan'. In this case, it comes from the true-life stories of the Niland brothers; four Irish-Americans who served during the Second World War, and only two of whom survived the conflict. Their stories are also partially told by the epic 'Band of Brothers' TV mini-series.
Sergeant Fritz Niland was the rough inspiration for the character of Private Ryan. Fritz fought during the Normandy Campaign and survived the events of D-Day. During the days after D-Day, he traveled to see the 82nd Airborne Division to see his brother Bob, only to find that Bob had been killed in action. The second brother, Preston, was killed during the D-Day landings. Fritz believed he was the only survivor from the family until he found that his third brother, Edward, had been captured by the Japanese and held as a Prisoner of War in Burma before being rescued in 1945.