Original artwork, not a still
I just know that every man I kill, the farther away from home I feel.
— Saving Private Ryan · 1998
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Miller admits what the mission costs him, in a film otherwise about soldiers who never complain. The line comes as a plain confession to his men that war is pulling him away from the man he used to be, and it shows why a quiet teacher can command a squad. People quote it for that tired honesty about what killing does to a decent person, far from the bravado of most war movies.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Saving Private RyanShow the scene
In Saving Private Ryan, Captain Miller's squad has just let a captured German go and lost a man taking a machine-gun nest. Reiben, furious that they are risking their lives for one soldier, announces that he is done with the mission. Horvath draws his weapon to stop him from walking away. Miller defuses it by telling them he is a schoolteacher and baseball coach from Pennsylvania, and says he will not stop Reiben leaving. He says every man he kills makes him feel further from home.
Sources (1)
- Springfield! Springfield!: Saving Private Ryan scriptscene after the prisoner is releasedReference checked
Context reviewed
