Eventually two of the American defenders, Sergeant Robert Niland and Corporal James Kelly, volunteered to remain behind.
In the case of the Niland brothers, U.S. intelligence believed that all but one of four siblings were killed in action.
The Niland brothers family, which endured the second greatest loss by any one family during the war (made famous by the loosely adapted film Saving Private Ryan), was from the Buffalo suburb of Tonawanda, New York and their similar loss to the Sullivan family played a role in the decision to place The Sullivans as a museum ship in Buffalo instead of elsewhere.
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The letter is frequently mentioned in America in relation to the topic of siblings going to war, such as when discussing the Sullivan brothers, the Niland brothers, the Borgstrom brothers, and the Sole Survivor Policy of the United States military.
The main character of Saving Private Ryan, Private First Class James Francis Ryan portrayed by Matt Damon, is based on Sergeant Frederick 'Fritz' Niland, Company H, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Muck's best friend in high school.