Cmdr. Bruce Thomas (of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6258) presented the Carnegie Medal to the family of posthumously awarded Joshua A. Curtis at a ceremony held on Memorial Day in Halifax, Massachusetts. Curtis’ son, Owen, 7, was joined by his mother, Barbara, Curtis’ widow, to receive the medal. She specifically wanted Owen to accept his father’s medal in his behalf.
Curtis was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism in December 2025 after an April 24, 2025, water rescue in which he drowned saving his son and his 9-year-old niece off of Fernandina Beach, Florida. Curtis was also a decorated soldier earning the Purple Heart and Bronze Star before retiring honorably in 2010 as a Sergeant First Class.
Owen, who was 6-years-old at the time of the rescue, and his cousin, Raylynn Nelsen, were playing in shallow water when a rip current suddenly pulled them into water at least 7 feet deep. As they struggled, Curtis saw what was happening from the beach and immediately went after them. When he reached the children, he worked to keep them afloat and push them back toward shore. At some point, Curtis stopped swimming and continued drifting farther out with Owen on his back. Raylynn kept trying to make her way toward shore.
On the beach, a bystander alerted Lance T. Jones, 45, a local who was nearby. He saw Raylynn about 300 feet from shore, ran into the water, and swam out to her. Panicking, she grabbed him and briefly pulled him under, but once he calmed her, he got her back to shallow water, where another bystander helped her the rest of the way to shore. Jones then turned back and swam out roughly 600 feet to reach Curtis and Owen. When he got to them, Curtis was facedown in the water. Owen grabbed onto Jones, pulling him under a few times, but Jones calmed him and turned Curtis onto his back. Jones pushed Owen a short distance toward shore, then swam forward to meet him, repeating this until rescue swimmers reached them at a point about 200 feet from shore. Jones continued to help bring Owen in while the rescuers brought Curtis to the beach and began lifesaving efforts. The children were taken to the hospital as a precaution and released the same day with no injuries. Curtis was also taken to the hospital, but he could not be resuscitated; he had drowned. Jones was nearly exhausted and coughed up some water but was otherwise uninjured.
After the incident both Curtis’ local VFW in Halifax and Fernandina Beach’s Post No. 10095 stood up in support for the Curtis family. In Florida, the post launched a GoFundMe that ultimately earned about $12,000 for Curtis’ mother and sister to travel to Massachusetts for Curtis’ funeral. In Halifax, $58, 975 was raised for Curtis’ widow and son for funeral costs and living expenses. Donators included neighboring VFW Post No. 2125 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, Old Colony Youth Football, and Silver Lake Youth Football.
Other veterans also attended the event for a Memorial Day ceremony, including Steve Littlefield and Eugene Coghill. They honored Curtis for his bravery and his sacrifice. In 2025,a memorial bench was installed at the Halifax VFW bearing Curtis’ name.