A piece of a World War II fighter plane that crashed 80 years ago and belonged to the country’s top ace has been found and returned to his home state of Wisconsin.

The P-38 Lockheed Lighting was flown by United States Army Air Corps Maj. Richard Bong, who holds the record for the most shoot-downs with 40 confirmed combat victories in the air. The plane was named after his future wife, Marjorie “Marge” Vattendahl, according to the Wisconsin National Guard.

He used the plane for dozens of missions, but another pilot flying it was forced to bail out in March 1944, sending it crashing into the rainforest.

Eighty years later, the search for the plane, dubbed “Mission Marge,” began.

The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center worked with the organization, Pacific Wrecks, to find what was left of the plane scattered on a remote hill.

“It is such an important piece of World War II history, and Richard Bong is such a notable figure that we thought it was important to preserve at least a piece of the airplane,” said Briana Fiandt, curator of collections and exhibits at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center.

As the nation’s top ace, Bong has a unique history.

Bong, originally from Poplar, Wisconsin, was a “typical farm kid,” Fiandt described, with an interest in flying.

He joined the Army Air Forces before the war and learned how to fly. He was eventually sent to the Pacific Theater with the Fifth Air Force, she said.

He shot down 40 planes during World War II, setting the record for the most confirmed victories in the air, not just for the conflict, but in all of US history. The record still holds today.