BOSTON -- His mission was top secret, and his death was always a mystery. But that's about to change for a Canton man who was killed in the Vietnam War.

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported Tuesday that Paul Donato was 28 when he volunteered for a super secret recon mission, spying on the famed Tet offensive of the Vietnam War. Donato and others in Navy Squadron VO 67 went in knowing the terrible odds.

VIDEO: Man Killed In Vietnam To Be Honored

"They told them, 'Listen, this is going to be tough. Sixty to 70 percent of you will never make it back,'" said Paul's brother, Joseph Donato.

Lumbering at 500 feet, dropping sensors from a Lockheed OP-2E Neptune patrol plane, Paul's plane was hit. For 30 years the Navy kept their story secret.

"I feel good that he didn't suffer. They assume when the plane went crashed they all died," Joseph Donato said.

For years, the Donatos watched as other soldiers came home. In the early '90s, a few metal belongings from Paul and the rest of his crew were finally returned. The families buried them together at Arlington National Cemetery.

"They died for their country. They were doing what they thought was right. They were heroes -- real heroes," Paul's brother, Jim Donato said.

Families and surviving members of VO 67 will be honored with the Marine Corps Presidential Citation Wednesday at the Navy Memorial in Washington for their extraordinary service -- 40 years later. Some of Paul's grandchildren and his brothers will be there representing his family.

"I lost my brother, and it brings it up in you -- brings it up in your heart and makes you wonder if it was worth it. I think it was," Jim Donato said.