The remains of a US airman killed in World War II were returned home to his family in New York City more than 80 years after his death.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicholas Governale, who died in a 1943 crash in the South Pacific while serving with the 69th Bombardment Squadron, received an emotional homecoming at LaGuardia Airport Friday as generations of grieving relatives gathered to salute his flag-draped casket, NBC New York reported.

“It’s kind of a dream right now,” nephew Edward Veneziano told the outlet.

“His focus was always on home — what can he do for his family, how can he help them. All of these veterans, all of these people who gave their lives for our country, as the years pass, it’s so easy to forget.”

Governale, a Brooklyn native, was aboard a B-25C-1 Mitchell bomber that crashed into the sea after taking off from Carney Field in the Solomon Islands on July 10, 1943, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

His remains were never recovered after the war, and he was declared nonrecoverable in May 1949 – though his death and disappearance left a long line of loved ones searching for answers. 

“This has always been an unanswered question in the family,” Veneziano said.

The family’s long-held hope was finally realized when Governale’s remains were found on May 15, 2025, after Project Recovery, a nonprofit dedicated to locating Americans missing in action, excavated the crash site and used dental and DNA analysis to confirm his identity, the agency announced in January.

Another nephew, Anthony, told NBC that he and his mother submitted DNA samples in 2000 in the hope their long-lost loved one might one day be found as technology continued to advance.

“They found Nicky and we were all shocked,” Anthony told the outlet, praising Project Recovery.

“This is what they’re dedicated to. Their motto is ‘No one left behind.'”

As family members reflect on departed relatives unable to welcome Governale home after 83 years, they find comfort knowing he will be laid to rest alongside them in Queens Saturday during a full military funeral, the outlet reported. 

“It is a miracle that this is happening,” said Carl Veneziano.

“We have Uncle Nick, he’s with us. And we have a place we can go and pray and be with him.”