Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - Thursday marks 80 years since the D-Day invasion in Normandy that turned the tide of World War II. In Tonawanda, four brothers who fought in that war will be honored in a ceremony.
Pete Niland's father and uncles were part of the effort leading up to D-Day.
"My father was in the Army Air Force, it was shot down two weeks before D-Day over Burma. He ended up in a Japanese prison camp for almost a year," said Niland in an interview with WBEN.
He says his father would have been declared dead had he not been found for another two weeks. As for his uncles:
"My one uncle, Bob, was the 82nd Airborne, parachuted into St. Marion Grace and got killed on D-Day. My other uncle, Preston, came in with a Fourth Division on Utah Beach. He was killed the day after D-Day. Uncle Fred jumped in with 101st and fought his way back to the coast, and they sent him home," Niland said.
He says families took part in that invasion, even from the Homefront, as this was a world changing event.
When "Saving Private Ryan" was being produced, Niland admits he had to brush up on his family history.
"The family made no big deal out of it, other than they were sorry that the boys were gone and, and stuff, but they weren't sad about it," Niland recalled.
Behind Tonawanda City Hall, Mayor John White says there is a monument to the Nilands, and on Thursday, a wreath will be placed as the city marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
"It's just a huge day. That's all of our parents, that's all of our grandparents, people that we have fought wars, and that's when it was so much about the country, and standing up for what we believe in: freedom," said White with WBEN.
Pete Niland is scheduled to speak at Thursday's commemoration.