Thread by @82ndABNDiv

1/20: "Sole Survivor: The Story of An All American Family"

All American Paratrooper Robert Niland was killed in combat 74 years ago this month. He was one of four brothers to serve in combat in WWII.

Today we tell the story of the Niland brothers.

2/20: It's a story that served as the inspiration for the WWII epic "Saving Private Ryan".

You surely know the movie, but let's quickly recap the plot (in the next tweet).

3/20: After D Day, Tom Hanks is tasked to lead a group of men from 2nd RGR Battalion to rescue PVT Ryan, a 101st ABN Paratrooper played by Matt Damon. Ryan's 3 brothers were killed in action & GEN Marshall directs him to be returned to his Family. Ryan does not want to leave.

4/20: The REAL story starts in post-WWI Tonawanda, NY, a small town north of Buffalo where Michael & Augusta Niland raised 4 boys. Oldest to youngest: Edward, Preston, Robert, & Frederick (“Fritz”). Tonawanda was devastated by the Great Depression during their youth.

5/20 In 1940, with the fall of France to the Nazis, the US institutes a draft. At this time, the US had not yet entered the war.

6/20: March 31, 1941: The Tonawanda draft board goes to the Niland home to inform the family that Preston, the 2nd oldest, has been drafted into the Army.

In 1942 Preston is selected to go to Officer Candidate School.

In 1943 he is commissioned as a 2nd Lt.

7/20: November 7th, 1941: 8 months later, the draft board goes back to the Niland home. Robert, the 2nd youngest, is drafted into the Army.

8/20: 20 days later, Frederick "Fritz" Niland, the youngest, volunteers for the Army (he is the only one not drafted).

In 1943, Fritz volunteers to serve in a new, exciting role: as an airborne Paratrooper. He is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.

9/20: December 7, 1941: Japanese bombers attack Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii.

Within months the US begins filling the Air Corps w/ pilots to begin bombing raids on Japan.

In March '42, Edward, the oldest Niland brother, is drafted into the Air Corps.

10/20: Back to Robert. In the summer of '42, he learns of a new force of airborne Paratroopers and volunteers. He is assigned to the 505th PIR, a new unit led by a charismatic leader named Jim Gavin.

The next year the 505th becomes part of the 82nd Airborne Division.

11/20: May, 1944: The Nilands receive their first tragic news: Edward (the pilot) has been shot down over Burma. His remains could not be recovered. He is likely dead at age 31.

12/20: D Day, 1944. Unbeknownst to one another, 3 of the 4 Niland brothers converge on Normandy.

~ 2AM: Robert parachutes in w/ D Co, 505th, 82nd, landing South of Amfreville.
~ 3AM: Fritz parachutes in w/ H Co, 501st, 101st
~ 6:30 AM: Preston lands on Utah beach w/ 4th INF Div

13/20: Late morning on D Day: Robert & D/505 of the 82nd are holding Neuville-au-Plain. The Germans counterattack. Robert's platoon is covering a withdrawal of Paratroopers. Robert is killed.

Less than 6 miles away are Preston (w/ 4th IN) and Fritz (w/ 101).

14/20: The next day, Preston's battalion begins an attack against the German coastal batteries at Crisbecq. He is killed in the fighting by a German sniper.

15/20: On June 8th, Father Francis Sampson (pictured here), chaplain of the 101st’s 501st Regiment (and later 2-star General and Army Chief of Chaplains), is directed to find Fritz, inform him that he is the sole survivor of the 4 boys and send him home.

16/20: On June 9th, (b/f Father Sampson can find him) Fritz goes to the 82nd Airborne's area in search of his brother. He is told of his Robert's death. ~ 3 hours later, Father Sampson finds Robert and informs him that he is to return home. Robert returns home 3 days later.

17/20: May '45: After a year of believing Edward died in Burma, the Nilands learn that he is alive & has been liberated from a Burmese POW camp! It turns out that Edward had parachuted (see the trend here?) from his plane after it was hit & wandered the jungles b/f his capture

18/20: Robert & Preston are buried near each other at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.

19/20 : Fritz became a dentist in Niagara Falls. He died in 1983 at age 63.

Edward lived in the Nilands' hometown of Tonawanda until his death in 1984 at age 72.

20/20: The story of the Niland brothers is another remarkable chapter in our World War II history. The story was significantly altered for "Saving Private Ryan," but the basic elements remain unchanged. Thanks for following along with us. We'll now take any questions.

We should clarify here that the US policy colloquially referred to as the "Sole Survivor Policy" (formally the "Special Separation Policies for Survivorship") was not enacted until 1948, 4 years after Fritz' return. The policy is still on the books but it is vaguely written....

...and confusingly worded. As it stands, the policy does not require the return from combat (or an exemption from combat) for a sole surviving child, but allows someone in this circumstance to apply for military discharge