During WWII, an Army fighter pilot from Amityville made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

In 1944, Second Lt. Samuel Gordon Leftenant earned his pilot license, and became a Tuskegee airman, the first African-American flying unit in the U.S. military.

Seven months later, on April 12, 1945, his plane collided mid-air with another plane over Austria while he was escorting bombers over Europe.

There were reports that Leftenant parachuted out of his plane, but one year later, the military declared him dead. He was 21 years old.

His parents and 12 brothers and sisters kept hope alive.

"Every time I went to Europe, about three or four times, I'd look for every black guy I saw because I didn't believe that my brother was dead," said his sister Amy Milligan Leftenant.

About 70 years later, his family finally bid him farewell. In January, Leftenant received full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, including a flyby and a 21-gun salute. He was also posthumously awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart.

Leftenant's accomplishments have also been recognized all across Long Island, from the Cradle of Aviation museum in Garden City to the Town of Babylon History Museum.