BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The homecoming for Private First Class Bartholomew Loschiavo brought a sense of closure to a family grappling with the mystery of what happened to their loved one, for 80 years.
The Buffalo native was killed in action, in October 1944, while fighting German troops in Luxembourg, a very small country surrounded by France, Belgium and Germany.
Monday, 7 News' Pheben Kassahun brought you the story of how his remains were positively identified, thanks to his family's research, along with DNA analysis.
'It means a lot': Remains of missing WWII soldier from Buffalo identified through DNA analysis
Thursday afternoon, Kassahun was at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport when his body returned home, to a military salute and a family that can now give this hometown hero, the burial he deserves.
After the military salute, 7 News met up with the family at Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home, Inc. in West Seneca, where his body will remain until his funeral.
Bartholomew Loschiavo's nephew Bart D'Angelo said, "Uncle Bart passed away and he brought the family together."
"We've been spending a lot of time on this and reviewing family photographs and talking to a lot of family, does anybody have any memories and those memories don't exist, but we couldn't be more proud of him and what he did for this country. That's what it's really about," Bartholomew Loschiavo's great-nephew David Loschiavo said.
Loschiavo's body landed at BUF Airport via a Southwest Airlines flight, with an honor guard and his descendants bearing witness, bringing the family peace.
"The family didn't have closure before. This gave us closure. There was hope at the beginning that he was reported missing and that he was still alive. I believe that hope turned into belief but this gave closure," D'Angelo added.
His family told Kassahun, he volunteered for the National Guard in June 1939, for three years, before leaving for Luxembourg.
Bartholomew Loschiavo's great-nephew Don Loschiavo explained, "He was in the service until the 65 days, from the day he landed. He moved across France pretty fast, chasing the Germans then when they met a formal defense, it was incredible. I watched the film footage when they were at Saint-Lô, France, and they had actually bombed the Monastery, where the Germans were, to get them out."
Thanks to DNA analysis and extensive research, Don Loschiavo found a woman on Facebook who owned a company called Footstep Researchers, who provided him with all the files on his great-uncle.
Don Loschiavo added, "She provided me all the files that I needed on Bart, that I needed to do the research and hammer down where he was. I discovered that he was in an unmarked grave in Luxembourg American Cemetery."
There are roughly 5,000 men buried in Luxembourg American Cemetery. About 100 are buried with no name.
Don Loschiavo explained, "I hope other people would do this for their family member and bring them home.
"There's no greater honor that I'll have in my life being involved with this here," David Loschiavo added.
Private First Class Loschiavo will be laid to rest on Saturday, June 1, at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, in Cheektowaga.
He will be buried alongside his parents and brother, Matthew.
