Ralph E. Goranson (1919 - 1212)
DID YOU KNOW THAT...
the film "Saving Private Ryan" from 1998, where Tom Hanks portrays Captain Miller, the leader of Ranger C Company, was actually based on Ralph E. Goranson (1919-2012), who came from a Swedish-speaking home in Chicago? The movie reflects the reality of the D-Day landing on June 6, 1944, but their mission was not to retrieve Private Ryan.
Ralph's father, the baker Sven Einar Göransson, hailed from Mönsterås, Småland, Sweden, and was born in 1893, while his mother, Agnes Dahlqvist, was born in Norway to Swedish parents in 1893.
Ralph E. Goranson was born on July 4, 1919, and had a successful military career, earning many prestigious awards, including one from President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Ralph passed away on November 14, 2012, and he remained proud of his Swedish heritage throughout his life.
