[ottbmare]

The school teacher “twist” was one of the more realistic and humanizing parts of the movie. Just an average guy, like 99.99% of those who served.

I agree entirely. The schoolteacher was the perfect choice, because he's an educated person and can thus engage the sympathies of educated viewers, but he's still middle-class like most of us. Shows us that any one of us could find ourselves in the same nightmare situation he was in.

[Servant of the Cross]

I agree with you on the teacher angle too. Reminds me of another teacher (professor) gone to war:

Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 20th Maine (Gettysburgh)