Edward F. Niland was the eldest of four American brothers of German descent from Tonawanda, NY, to serve in the U.S. Military during World War II. His brothers were Preston T. (1915-7 June 1944); Robert J. (1919-6 June 1944); and Frederick W. (1920-1983). They were the sons of Michael and Augusta Niland. Fritz's father, Mike "The Bull" Niland, served with the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War.

He joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in November 1942 and his youngest brother, Frederick 'Fritz' Niland (Honoree Record ID 221008), joined the U.S. Army at the same time. Brothers Preston (Honoree Record ID 2905) and Robert (Honoree Record ID 2906), both joined the U.S. Army prior to the beginning of WWII.

On 16 May 1944, Michael and Augusta Niland received the first bad news that the B-25 Mitchell bomber of which their son, TSGT Edward Niland (age 31 at the time) was a crewmember, had been shot down over Burma and that he was Missing in Action.

After a year of presuming the death of their son Edward, the Nilands happily learned that he was alive and had been in a Japanese POW camp in Burma. Edward had parachuted from his plane and wandered the jungles before being captured. Edward was liberated from the POW camp on 4 May 1945. The POW camp had taken a severe physical toll on Edward who weighed only 80 pounds (down from his original 170 pounds) when he returned to the U.S.

After his release, Edward learned of the death of his brother Bob (also known as 'Bob the Beast'), who was serving with Company D, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Bob had jumped near St Mere Eglise and was then killed in heavy fighting at Neuville au Plain on D-Day, 6 June 1944.

He also learned that Preston, a Second Lieutenant in Company C, First Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, had landed on Utah Beach and, on 7 June 1944, was killed in the area NW of Utah Beach near the fortresses at Azeville and Crisbecq, France. The good news he received was that brother Fritz, a SGT Sergeant with Company H, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, had survived the war and had been honorably discharged a few months earlier.

The story of the Niland brothers was the basis of the book Saving Private Ryan by Stephen E. Ambrose and of the HBO Movie of the same name.

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