Original Item: Only One Available. This is one of the original steel prop helmets used during the filming of Steven Spielberg's seminal work "Saving Private Ryan", purportedly worn by Medic Irwin Wade played by the actor Giovanni Ribisi. There is a tape tag on the interior shell with marker script reading WADE with another tag reading M. REIDE and the rear of the helmet was painted with a 2nd Ranger Battalion over a horizontal white “Follow Me” bar. The shell itself is an original WWII Rear Seam Swivel Bale, but the heat lot stamp has been obfuscated by the paint. The liner is a Vietnam War era example. 

The helmet bears the initials CRC written in black marker on the interior of the shell. This denotes that the helmet originated from Costume Rentals Corporation (CRC), which supplied a substantial portion of the World War II–era wardrobe and uniform pieces used in the film. This helmet—along with other materials—was only recently released following CRC’s closure in 2025, and as such, has never previously been offered on the market.

Technician 4th Grade Irwin Wade was a supporting character in Saving Private Ryan. He was a medic and one of the Rangers from 2nd Battalion, Charlie Company, chosen by Captain Miller to retrieve Private Ryan, behind enemy lines. He was played by Giovanni Ribisi.

A fiberglass version of the M1 helmet was most commonly worn by actors, as it was significantly lighter and more comfortable during long shooting days. However, steel helmets were also provided and used for set dressing, as well as in certain action sequences where stunt performers—or the actors themselves—required additional protection. It’s possible that “Reide” was a stunt double for Wade. 

The helmet is fitted with a Vietnam War era liner embossed US / 16 with dark green suspension and an intact sweatband. Like most helmets used in the production, a variety of shells and liners were used. Liners used were a wide variety, ranging from original WWII production, Vietnam era, 1980s, foreign clones, etc. The helmet shell retains the chinstrap which appears to be Korean War era. 

We believe that the helmet liner was worn by Giovanni Ribisi, but as the shell does not have a medic's cross, it's possible the shell belonged to someone else and was switched at one point. As film sets are very hectic shells and liners were certainly switched around often during and after filming.

This is a great example of a helmet used in the popular film “Saving Private Ryan” and purportedly worn by Irwin Wade! Comes ready for display.

Interestingly, IMA supplied many of the Machine Guns, Edged Weapons and loads of other equipment for Saving Private Ryan which was released in 1998 and set the bar for the WW2 film genre.

Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), on a mission to locate Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) and bring him home safely after his three brothers have been killed in action. The cast also includes Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg and Jeremy Davies.

Inspired by the books of Stephen E. Ambrose and accounts of multiple soldiers in a single family, such as the Niland brothers, being killed in action, Rodat drafted the script, and Paramount Pictures hired him to finish writing it. The project came to the attention of Hanks and Spielberg, whose involvement, due to their previous successes, secured the project's development. Spielberg wanted to make Saving Private Ryan as authentic as possible and hired Frank Darabont and Scott Frank to do uncredited rewrites based on research and interviews with veterans. The main cast went through a week-long boot camp to help them understand the soldier's experience. Filming took place from June to September 1997, on a $65–$70 million budget, almost entirely on location in England and Ireland. The opening Omaha Beach battle was the most demanding scene, costing $12 million to film over a four-week period, and using 1,500 background actors.

Saving Private Ryan became one of the year's most successful films, earning critical acclaim for its graphic portrayal of combat. WWII veterans described the combat scenes as the most realistic portrayal of their own experiences they had seen; some said they had been unable to watch it due to their traumatic memories. The film earned $481.8 million, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1998, and went on to win many accolades, including Golden Globe, Academy, BAFTA, and Saturn awards.

Considered one of the greatest films ever made, Saving Private Ryan's battle-scene filming techniques impacted many subsequent war, action, and superhero films, and numerous directors have cited Saving Private Ryan as an influence on them. The picture is credited with having helped to renew interest in WWII at the turn of the century, inspiring other films, television shows, and video games set during the war. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".