(NEXSTAR) – At the Normandy American Cemetery in France, the brothers who inspired the movie “Saving Private Ryan” rest alongside soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
“I’m sorry to tell you that Private Ryan did not exist, but the story is based on the true story of the Niland brothers,” historian Anthony Folquier said.
Preston, Robert, Frederick “Fritz” and Edward Niland all fought in World War II. Robert and Preston were both killed in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Although his family received a letter stating that he had been killed in action, Edward Niland survived after being held as a prisoner of war in the Pacific Theater. His family would not find this out until after the war ended.
The basis of the movie pulls from the truthful account of the effort to locate Fritz Niland and prevent the family from presumably losing all Niland brothers in the war. When Fritz went to join the 82nd Airborne Division nine days after the invasion, they informed him of his brothers’ deaths and sent Fritz home.
Preston Niland is the son of Edward Niland, who was a radio operator tail gunner in the Pacific.
“My dad was in the Army Air Force. He was a Tech Sergeant. He flew some missions. He was on a secondary mission over Burma when he got shot down in a B-25. He made it to a village. Unfortunately, it was a Japanese village where they kept him two weeks short of a year,” said Niland.
Never losing hope, his mother, “Gussie” Niland, set a place for him every night at the dinner table.
“He tried to escape. They put him in a cage where he couldn’t stand up… weighed 85 pounds when he got out… he was emotionally affected for the rest of his life,” said Niland.
A monument honoring the Niland Brothers stands at the edge of the Niagara River in Tonawanda, where the boys grew up and where Preston still lives.
“I go by it a lot and I say hello. Uncle Bobby, who was the 82nd Airborne, was killed on D-Day. Uncle Preston was with the 4th Division. They made it off Utah Beach, which was a flat beach compared to Omaha Beach. They got peppered by this German artillery…stepped out of formation to help a wounded soldier, and that’s where he got killed. Uncle Fritz with the 101st, he fought his way back to the coast where he found out his brothers had been killed.”
The Army then sent Fritz home.
Tom Niland, the brothers’ cousin who fought on Utah Beach, identified the two brothers’ bodies.
The faded Western Union telegrams with the news of his uncles and father hang in the den along with a letter from FDR, scrapbooks and photos with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks from the “Saving Private Ryan” premiere.
“The Matt Damon character — my cousin Catie said — he said exactly what Uncle Fritz said when they sent him home,” said Preston as he related the conversation. “‘I am with the brothers I have now, I’m going to stay…’ ‘You can’t stay you got to argue with General George Marshall.'”
In 1979, Fritz wrote a letter to his daughter Cate about returning to Normandy in 1984 for the 40th anniversary:
“This time around I won’t carry an M-1 rifle but armed with a fine wife. First, we shall visit where I haven’t… my two brothers buried side by side. The same blood flows in your veins and I believe the mystic chords of memory will have a pull on you. You will brush the sleeves of men from my generation who had a rendezvous with destiny.”
Preston’s grandmother heard from other parents with sons fighting overseas. “The desperation in these letters were things like, ‘I heard about your boys; I’m very sorry about your boys; by the way, did they ever say anything about our boys?'” said Preston.
They also received a letter from Bobby before he headed to Omaha Beach. “You know, mom, I try to make believe that I’m a big grown man and a soldier all dressed up, just like I used to dream about when I was younger… When I do come back home to stay, I promise you that I will be a better man — and son — that you can be truly proud of,” wrote Bobby in the letter.
The Niland family’s service runs deep. Another cousin, Joe, also fought in World War II and helped liberate Dachau concentration camp in 1945. Preston’s grandfather, Mike “The Bull” Niland, served under Teddy Roosevelt, although he insisted he wasn’t a rough rider.
Decades later, another proud Niland son is serving his country, training to be a helicopter pilot at Naval Air Station, Whiting Field.
“To be a part of something bigger than just flying a helicopter? I think that’s the special part and that’s how I connect with the great uncles that came before us,” said James Niland.
“When I wanted to join, I saw the Blue Angels over Buffalo, and who doesn’t want to fly jets?”
But he has his sights set on a different flight path, flying Romeo helicopters in Rota, Spain.
“Having a part in the legacy of my great uncles fighting in Europe, fighting to protect my brothers and sisters over there, it all lined up,” he said.
Reflecting on this year’s monumental milestone, Lt. Junior Grade Niland recognizes the great victory achieved by his family and the military men who came before him.
“They came together to conquer an unthinkable task and really showed the world that nothing is impossible with the American spirit. Those men were legends, and it was a legendary triumph. They’ll live on forever.”
