U.S. Coast Guard Presents Posthumous Purple Heart to World War II Veteran’s Family

By Space Coast Daily // February 5, 2020

Capt. Matthew Thompson presented award posthumously to Arturo Antonsanti's daughter

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — The Coast Guard presented a Purple Heart to Anabel Antonsanti-Weis, on behalf of her late father Coast Guard Seaman 1st Class Arturo Antonsanti, in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Capt. Matthew Thompson, Commanding Officer of Sector St. Petersburg, presented the award posthumously to Anabel, and her family in honor of her father who was a survivor of the World War II vessel USS Leopold attack but who passed away in 2008.

The Coast Guard-manned USS Leopold was attacked by a German submarine March 9, 1944, in the northern Atlantic of which only 28 crewmen survived and 171 lost their lives.

Purple Hearts were approved for the 28 survivors by the Commandant of the Coast Guard in November 2011.

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