A granite monument in the farmlands of Kansas has revived a forgotten history for the descendants of one of Lyndhurst’s favorite sons. Dedicated Saturday afternoon outside of Hill City, Kansas, just north of small town called Bogue, the oversize tombstone pays tribute to Lt. Paul Capaccio and five other U.S. Army airmen. The six died roughly one mile north on Feb. 2, 1943, when they hit a massive storm in their B-17 and crashed into a pasture.

Capaccio, 25, his fellow crewman and the one passenger were among thousands of airmen to die in training and transport during World War II. Often, they are the forgotten losses from the nation’s largest collective effort. Ariana Pelosci, Capaccio’s 21-year-old great niece from Hamilton, said even in her own family his story had been a bit of a mystery.