Walter Ehlers Seizes the Moment Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, is a commonly watched movie and Walter Ehlers has a similar story. It is similar in the fact that they are fighting in Deliverance Day on the beaches of Normandy and that they lose a loved one, but Walter says, “There were so many bodies everywhere. It was sixty times worse than ‘Saving Private Ryan’” (Schudel). Walter Ehlers and his brother Roland entered the Army and fought in North Africa and Sicily together, but this was only the beginning of their journey. At age twenty-three, Walter and his brother were ordered to Omaha Beach to fight in the Normandy Battle, a turning point for World War II. The brothers were separated into different squads because Walter was promoted. This would be the last time they would ever see each other once they arrived on the beaches (Goldstein). Walter Ehlers, the Medal of Honor recipient, truly seized the moment by leading his squad through harsh circumstances, sacrificing himself, and not letting his brother’s death stop him from fighting for what he believed in. From the first minute they arrived on the shores, Walter Ehlers seized the moment by leading his twelve-man squad through harsh conditions and…show more content… Walter threw himself in front of gunshots and ran back to carry one of his men over his shoulder, although he was badly wounded. Walter led his squad so well, they were far ahead of everyone else. They soon came across a large amount of Germans firing at them. He called out for his men to retreat and stood there firing out in the open to cause a distraction so his men could get away. He was shot multiple time in the back but it allowed his men to get away. Walter picked up a wounded member of his squad and carried him to safety even though he was hurt himself. Walter was taken to the doctors and they found out , “the bullet had