RIVIERA BEACH, Florida — A man who recently returned from serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan died while diving. Authorities told CDNN that Joseph A. Russo, 47, died on Sunday while snorkel diving off Singer Island. About noon, Riviera Beach police responded to a call for help and found lifeguards performing CPR on Russo. The lifeguards were notified by fishermen that a snorkeler was struggling near rocks north of Ocean Reef Park. Paramedics took over CPR and rushed the diving accident victim to St. Mary's Medical Center, but he never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at the medical facility. Dedicated National Guard member Friends and co-workers described Russo, who worked at the VA Hospital in West Palm Beach, as a dedicated member of the National Guard. "He'll be dearly missed, he did a good job. He was dedicated," Wally Thompson, Russo's supervisor at the VA Hospital in Riviera Beach, told reporters. "To see a soldier survive something like that in a war zone and to come back and drown snorkeling, it's just hard to handle," said David Knapp, Southern Area Commander for the American Legion. | 
