A day more than 77 years in the making, 1st Lt. Steve “Pete” Nagy of the U.S. Army Air Corps, finally was laid to rest after his remains were returned to Lorain.
In a ceremony Sept. 24 at Elmwood Cemetery, 640 North Ridge Road in Lorain, at the veteran’s memorial, Nagy’s nephew Rich Nagy, 75, was joined by family friends and local veterans groups.
Rich Nagy received the ceremonial U.S. flag that covered the casket carrying the airman’s remains.
“I’m feeling thankful that he’s home,” Rich Nagy said. “We finally have closure, we know what happened to him, and it’s just overwhelming of a day.
“A lot of emotions are being felt. But there’s one that feeling that I wish my parents and his brothers and sister were here, because I know that they loved him and they took efforts to find out, and that answer was, we don’t think we’re gonna find anything.
“So, he’s home, and that’s the main thing.”
Rich Nagy said his uncle’s generation and the sense of common duty among people and nations enabled the freedom that Americans have today.
“We’re all better off for it, and I hope they don’t forget,” he said.
U.S. Army Chaplain Sean Hampton performed the ceremony.
A veteran of the Iraq War with nearly 30 years of service, Hampton remembered Nagy for his selflessness as part of the greatest generation.
“First Lt. Nagy not only laid down his life for his friends, he laid down his life for strangers,” Hampton said. “He laid down his life so that we, even today, and others around the world, could stand here free. We honor him for that.
“We remember that like so many who served during World War II, truly are, and continue to be remembered as the greatest generation. Like so many, Steve served his country. He looked out for his brothers. He will always be honored as a hero.”
Nagy was a member of Clearview High’s class of 1938.
On Aug. 24, 1944, the 23-year-old Nagy was piloting a B-17G Flying Fortress on a bombing mission over Merseburg, Germany, when it was struck by German anti-aircraft fire and crashed.
There were nine people aboard the plane, and Nagy was among five who were killed in the mission.
His remains were identified in 2019 with the help of DNA testing and arrived at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on Sept. 17.
Nagy’s high school yearbook said he played football, ran track, was a member of the glee club, library club and participated in dramatics and publications.
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Fallen Lorain hero laid to rest 77 years later - The Morning Journal
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