Jessica Niss poses with a photo of her son, Cpl. Eric John Niss de Jesus, at Camp Foster, Okinawa, May 24, 2023. Niss de Jesus, 24, drowned after getting caught in a rip current at Odo Beach, June 5, 2021. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The mother of a Marine who drowned in a rip current off Okinawa in June 2021 has returned to the island to warn service members and others about the dangers posed by unpredictable seas.
Jessica Niss, 46, of Mountain Lake, Minn., delivered an hourlong presentation Wednesday called "Practice a Pause" for about 100 Marines at the Camp Foster theater.
She urged the Marines to “pause” and consider the consequences before doing anything that poses a risk. She also implored them to think of their loved ones back home.
Niss' son, Cpl. Eric John Niss de Jesus, was 24 when he went missing on June 5, 2021, after getting caught in a rip current at Odo Beach in Itoman. She shared her son's story in hopes of saving lives ahead of the critical summer months.
Niss de Jesus was swimming with three friends near a reef when they were caught in a rip current. He barked words of encouragement to his friends ahead of him, spurring them forward to safety.
When the group exited the water, Niss de Jesus was nowhere to be found. His body was recovered four days later, approximately 1,000 feet from shore.
Water safety remains a serious issue on the semi-tropical, southern Japanese island, where scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking and surfing rank among the most popular recreational activities, Shawn Curtis, installation safety office director, said Wednesday. The island’s rocky coastline, high winds and myriad reefs and natural channels form the perfect setting for breaking waves and rip currents.
The U.S. military on Okinawa has suffered 39 water-related deaths since 2003, including 18 Marines, Curtis said. More than 50% of the Navy and Marine drowning deaths around the world since 2018 have occurred in either Hawaii, Guam or Okinawa.
Water-related incidents peaked on Okinawa in 2022 at 106, a 10-year high, Jason MacDonald, ocean safety program manager for Camp Butler, told Stars and Stripes last month. There were 40 fatalities in 2022, including one U.S. service member, according to Japanese police.
Cpl. Eric John Niss de Jesus, a military policeman with headquarters and support battalion, Marine Corps Installations Pacific, poses at Camp Foster, Okinawa, April 16, 2021. (Lucas Vega/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marine Sgt. Jean-Keith Buzard of the 3rd Maintenance Battalion hugs Jessica Niss, who lost her Marine son to an Okinawa rip current, followering her water-safety presentation at Camp Foster, May 24, 2023. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Niss gave seven “Practice a Pause” talks between May 18 and Wednesday, including two at the Defense Department high schools at Camp Foster and Kadena Air Base. She was scheduled to speak Thursday to Marines at Camp Hansen and Friday at Camp Kinser, where her son worked as a military working dog handler for Marine Corps Installations Pacific.
Niss became emotional Wednesday as she shared pictures and stories of her son over the years.
Niss de Jesus was a kind and thoughtful “big brother” to all, who graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in animal science, she said. He enlisted in the Marines in 2019 to work with dogs, though he was selected two years later for the enlisted commissioning program.
This “puts a lot of purpose to my pain,” she said after hugging a long line of Marines at the conclusion of her presentation. “Being able to share him with others is my privilege as a momma.”
Cpl. Isaac Lopez, an avid snorkeler and surfer from 3rd Maintenance Battalion, said it's sometimes easy to get lost in the countless training sessions and safety briefings.
“It will have more of an impact now because of Eric’s mother,” he said after her speech.
Cpl. Andre Henry, also from the maintenance battalion, agreed.
“People should pay attention, take caution and actually do the research before they go out to the beaches,” he said.
