Mass. veteran drowns saving son and niece in Florida, family says

A Massachusetts father and Army veteran is being remembered for his heroism after he drowned saving his son and niece from a rip current while on vacation in Florida. 

Joshua Curtis, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient, died April 24 in Fernandina Beach, according to a GoFundMe page started to help his family.

Family members told CBS News that the 38-year-old rushed into the water when his 6-year-old son, Owen, and niece got stuck in a rip current, drowning as he rescued them.

Lance Jones, a nearby resident who helped save the children, told the network Curtis was working to keep the children up even as he went under. 

“I think he did everything he could to just keep those two kids afloat,” Jones said. “The hardest thing was Owen and just the sheer look of panic on his face. He just kept saying, ‘I can’t swim, I can’t swim, my dad said he’s drowning.’ I said, ‘Hey buddy, I got you, we gotta swim in.’”

According to CBS, Curtis is survived by his wife and son. The family from Halifax, Massachusetts was in Florida visiting his hometown and his relatives. 

“It is with great pride and sadness that we say goodbye to a man that embodies what it means to be a soldier, father, husband and ultimately a hero,” Curtis’s family said in a statement obtained by CBS.

According to the network, Curtis served in the Army for 15 years and also coached youth football for the Silver Lake Warriors in Kingston, Plympton, and Halifax. 

In a statement, the football program said its community is mourning the “heartbreaking loss.”

“His selfless actions were a reflection of the man he was—brave, loving, and devoted to those he cared about,” the statement on Facebook reads. “Josh was an Army veteran, a family man, a coach, and a friend to so many in our community. His impact on the Warrior family was immediate and lasting. His son had just completed his first year of football, and Josh was preparing to take on the role of head coach for our Mighty Mites this upcoming season. His passion, leadership, and kindness will be deeply missed on and off the field.”

According to the GoFundMe page for the family, money raised will support the family traveling to and from Massachusetts to attend Curtis’s funeral. A celebration of his life was held Tuesday night in Florida, according to CBS.