Photo In Uniform |
Service Details |
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Last Photo |
Personal Details
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Home State
 New York | |
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Year of Birth 1919 |
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This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SFC Ken Logue-Deceased
to remember
Niland, Robert J. (WW II KIA D-DAY), Sgt.
If you knew or served with this Soldier and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
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Casualty Info
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Home Town Tonawanda, New York |
Last Address Not Specified |
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Casualty Date Jun 06, 1944 |
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Cause Hostile, Died |
Reason Gun, Small Arms Fire |
Location France |
Conflict WWII - European Theater of Operations/Normandy Campaign (1944)/Operation Overlord/D-Day Beach Landings - Operation Neptune |
Location of Interment American Cemetery - Normandy, France |
Wall/Plot Coordinates Not Specified |
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Last Known Activity The Niland brothers were four American brothers from Tonawanda, New York, serving in the military during World War II. Of the four, two survived the war, but for a time it was believed that only one, Frederick Niland, had survived. Frederick was sent back to the United States to complete his service and only later learned that his brother Edward, missing and presumed dead, was actually captive in a Japanese POW camp in Burma. Steven Spielberg's film Saving Private Ryan is loosely based on the brothers' story.
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Comments/Citation Technical Sergeant Robert Niland (1919–June 6, 1944)[1], Company D, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Killed in action on June 6, 1944 in Normandy. He volunteered to stay behind with 2 other men and hold off a German advance while his company retreated from Neuville-au-Plain. He was killed while manning his machine gun; the other two men survived.
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