In Appreciation of Others’ Work, Sacrifices

U-T San Diego -- Lawrence Hinman is a professor of philosophy at the University of San Diego. 

Many of us remember the haunting scenes of Steven Spielberg’s 1998 film “Saving Private Ryan,” especially the closing moments at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, when James Ryan, now an old man, stands before the grave of Capt. John Miller, who led the company of men that saved Ryan’s life when he was a young private. Recalling all the sacrifices that made it possible for him to stand before Miller’s grave – one in a sea of identical headstones, monuments to sacrifice and courage – Ryan asks his wife if he has led a good life, if he has earned the salvation that Miller and countless others bought for him with their lives, their valor, their dedication to duty. (Full Story)