Piersanti, Anthony J. Jr.
Navy Lieutenant (junior grade)

Anthony J. Piersanti Jr., age 24, from Pennsauken, New Jersey.

Date of death: Tuesday, December 15, 1970
Death details:  On December 15, 1970, a C-2A Greyhound (bureau number 155120) carrying six crew and passengers launched from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CVA 61) in the South China Sea. About ten seconds after launch, the aircraft stalled and crashed into the sea. Search and rescue units responded immediately but there were no survivors. Searchers were able to retrieve the remains of two of the men aboard the aircraft, but the other four could not be recovered.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Anthony Julius Piersanti Jr., who entered the U.S. Navy from New Jersey, served with Fleet Tactical Support Squadron 50 and was the copilot on this Greyhound at the time of its loss. He was not recovered after the crash and remains unaccounted for. Today, Lieutenant Junior Grade Piersanti is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.

Sources: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com