NORMANDY, France. – Todd Nakonechny is one of Local 10's viewers in Coral Springs.
His wife saw our coverage of the 75th anniversary of D-Day and wanted to know if we could get a picture of where a fallen family member is buried.
So we did.
"To see that there. It's emotional. It gets you. He made the sacrifice," Nakonechny said.
Local 10 sent a crew to France for the D-Day anniversary. The crew found the cross bearing the name of Nakonechny's uncle, U.S. Army Pvt. John Nakonechny Jr., who died on July 11, 1944.
Todd Nakonechny's four uncles, who are his father's brothers, all served in World War II.
John Nakonechny never made it back home, but the stories still remain.
"He's always been part of my life, my brother's life," Todd Nakonechny said.
As part of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, John Nakonechny was 18 when he died.
"My grandparents had three other sons serving at the same time, so one made the ultimate sacrifice," Todd Nakonechny said. "My uncle that I never met. He's always been truly dear to all of us."
Whether or not you have one of these heroes in your family, you cannot forget their legacy and their sacrifice.
"It's remarkable that you guys actually found this and did this for myself and for my family, and I'm forever grateful for it," Todd Nakonechny told Local 10's Hatzel Vela.
One of these days, Nakonechny is hoping he and his brother can make the trek across the pond and pay tribute to their Uncle John.
"Just proud that he's my uncle," Todd Nakonechny said.