For people who have served, Saving Private ryan?

Question

In the film when the try to get onto Omaha beach (i think its that depicted in the film) and one of the rangers has a round ping of his helmet, he takes his helmet off and pokes his finger through the hole thinking to himself that bullet had my name on it. 1 second later a second round blows his skull apart. In a live battle surely the last thing you do is take your helmet off? Another question, are field medics (not special operational team medics) supposed to carry a rifle or sidearm?

Answer 1

During WW2, it was illegal for medics to carry a weapon because they were considered non combatants, just like Chaplains. Today they carry a weapon because the enemy will use them as targets otherwise. Same reason they don't wear any medic identification any more.



Yes people do stupid things in battle. However the Steel pots werent bullet proof, so it wouldnt have mattered either way. And contrary to what the other poster said todays helmets aren't bulletproof either.



One of the dumber things I've done is right after my tank got blown up I jumped on top of it to render first aid to my tank commander, thereby making myself a very large target. One of my brighter moves it wasn't.

Answer 2

Also on Omaha beach was the 29th infantry Div a National guard unit this was their first action. Again this is the movies but he obviously felt the impact and without thinking took off the helmet to inspect the damage. At least when I was in medics were only allowed to carry defensive weapons i.e. a sidearm (.45 pistol). Carrying a rifle is an offensive weapon and that is not allowed by the Geneva Convention.

Answer 3

Thinking was a little different in WWII. Most of the time they did do the John Wayne thing because they though the concussion from an explosion would pull the helmet and if the chin strap was on, would pull the head off too. Today you never take your chin strap off.



Also, those helmets were not bullet proof. Our helmets today are. The WWII helmets were meant to stop debris and fragments from explosions, not bullets.



The US Soldiers were kind of famous for being naive on things too. Interviews with Germans and German POWS brought out facts like American Soldiers walking right up to Machine Gun Aiming stakes and calling over the squad leader. A lot of the Soldiers in D-Day were green, it was their first action. Rookies would do things like that.



In the movie his problem wasn't the helmet so much as stopping and exposing himself.



For medics, the original idea in the Law of Land Warfare was that they did not carry a weapon, but then they got targeted and things changed.

Answer 4

Every combat medic I knew carried a rifle. Hollywood and storytelling in general needs a conflict. It is conflicting to heal and do harm. In truth most medics would still kill the enemy and would still defend themselves.

In today's volunteer military there is no need for conscientious objector to join.



As for the helmet, wouldn't you take it off and look at the hole, too? Again, Hollywood trying to make it more interesting.

Answer 5

My first thought when I saw that film is where did the bullet go?



He pushed his finger right through so the bullet went completely through the helmet. Why was he not dead with the first bullet?



Sorry not served but my observation anyway

Answer 6

most of private ryan is pretty accurate

yes people do foolish things, like take off a helmet

or stand up because they saw a spider

if you carry a rifle and are captured, you do not have medic status

just a regular POW

sometimes medics are targets and try to avoid being recognized as such

Answer 7

To answer your first question, removing helmets in combat is a big no no, but unfortunately in WW2, most US soldiers received their training from enemy soldiers in combat. In regards to your second question, combat medics do carry weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I do not believe that US medics in WW2 did.

Answer 8

Shock is an amazing thing. It causes you to do things that you would later on look back to and say "what the hell was I thinking when I did that?" Obviously, that Soldier couldn't look back later to say the same thing.

Answer 9

all medics in infantry units carry a rifle

Answer 10

Never, never, never take off your helmet in combat.Second question, no