A U.S. Navy sailor is being praised as a hero after losing his life while rescuing his two sons from powerful surf in Kauai, Hawaii.
Master-at-Arms 1st Class Jeffrey Diaz, 47, was swimming with his boys in Waiapuaʻa Bay when a strong wave swept his younger child out into deeper water. Diaz told his older son to swim to shore and went after the younger boy, his wife told HawaiiNewsNow.
According to their son, Diaz carried the child on his back and fought the current with one arm before telling him, “You need to go. Don’t stop swimming. I love you.” Those were his final words.
Both children reached shore safely.
First responders pulled Diaz from the ocean and rushed him to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy is pending.
Officials at the Pacific Missile Range Facility and Kauai Police Department offered condolences, calling Diaz’s actions a courageous final act of love. The family had lived on the island for just three months, and Diaz had planned to retire soon.
