Body of WWII soldier identified and brought back to WNY

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A soldier who fell during World War II is now back home.

“On June 19, we landed at Omaha Beach,” said Don Loschiavo, great-nephew of World War II Private First Class Bartholomew Loschiavo.

After more than 80 years, his family was able to connect the dots and the decades-old mystery of Loschiavo.

“He was in the Army,” Don said. “He was in the 32nd (Infantry Regiment) and the 83rd (Infantry Division).”

Loschiavo was missing in action during World War II.

“The story I heard was that they were heading toward the Germans and Bart was shot,” Don said. “The Americans kept moving, they told him to wait on the side of the road (and) someone would come and help him. And (he was) never seen again.

It was in a pile of papers describing where he landed, the towns they passed through and the losses suffered, that a picture began to take shape.

“During the attack on Grevenmacher in Luxembourg on October 1, 1944, Private Loschiavo was injured by a 120-pound mortar,” Don reads from one document.

The story was that of the body of an American soldier found by locals and finally buried in a Luxembourg cemetery, in an unmarked grave.

“In my opinion, it had to be Bart,” Don said.

Thus, an investigation launched by Don Loschiavo’s father in 1996 was taken up by Don in 2019.

In April 2024, they heard the news.

“This is what the Army gave us,” Don said, holding up a thick booklet. “It’s DNA analysis.”

It was him.

“(He was) just a kid,” said Bart D’Angelo, PFC Loschiavo’s nephew. “Was he 24?”

“24,” Don confirmed.

His family made the decision to bring him back.

“We haven’t forgotten what he did, that’s for sure,” Don said. “His sacrifice allowed everyone to grow.”

On May 24, in front of family and strangers, Loschiavo was flown back to Western New York, with full military honors.

This closure came too late for his parents and brothers and sisters, who died with the hope of a different outcome.

“It was such a belief that they went to a psychic and the psychic said he was still alive in California,” D’Angelo explained. “They died thinking he was still alive.”

But for those here, having Loschiavo at home is a remarkable moment.

“Bart brings the family together,” D’Angelo explained,

His service will not be forgotten.

“We will pass (his story) on to our grandchildren and our future generations,” D’Angelo added.

Their quest for answers revealed much more than they could have expected.

“I can talk about the stories Bart would have told us,” said David Loschiavo, another great-nephew of PFC Loschiavo. “Some of them are funny and some of them are sad, but we know enough about this man and from the photos we can understand what kind of guy he was.

His family is still thinking about the other unknowns.

“There are over 100 single men in this Luxembourg cemetery who are missing,” Don explained. “It says on it, ‘soldier in arms, known only to God.’ Now these guys deserve the honor and respect of a headstone.

As Loschiavo’s coffin continues its journey to its final resting place, they hope others will ask the same questions they did, to honor all those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“DNA is going to change everything for everyone,” Don said. “That’s the case for us.”

Loschiavo will rest on June 1st. He will be buried with his parents and his brother.