From Jeff Lee,

The one single thing I remember most about our friend Joe is his smile. You all know what I am talking about, just as we all know about the already referenced Bear Hugs. I think this smile is extremely well represented in the picture on this blog titled, "Joe and Josh", down towards the bottom. Joe had this smile on whenever I saw him. On the way to class, on the way to workout, during workout, and most of all, outside of the school and swimming worlds when we were all just taking it easy. Joe was the most sincere and loyal friend I have ever had. From the first time I met him on my recruiting trip, he was always genuinely concerned about how other people were doing. My first year at SC, he was constantly in the freshman dorms helping us with this or that, and just trying to make us feel part of the family that he was so proud a part of. It worked! He somehow took all of us freshman at the same time under his wing and helped show us the ropes.

I remember one time in particular when Joe didn't have his famous smile on his face. It was September 11th, 2001, and we were standing in the Lyon Center lobby after a pre-AM-workout run. Joe, myself, and a few others stood there staring at the TV in complete shock. I remember the look of both anger and sadness on Joe's face, and I understood right then how he had been affected. Several years later when Joe decided to join the Green Berets, I wasn't surprised, because I know what a dedicated, loyal, and devoted man Joe is. He decided that he wanted to do something special (and we are not just talking about anything...), and he did it. I have a lot to learn from all of my experiences with Joe, and I am honored to be a friend of his.

I have emailed on a semi-consistent basis with Joe over the past several years, and I was so happy for him when I heard about his experiences in training and other exercises en route to being a Green Beret. I was so happy every time I got a reply back from him because I knew he probably didn't have unlimited access to a computer. And still after a few years of a pure email relationship, the first line in his emails to me were always, "It was such a treat to hear from you..." That always made me smile, and I will miss dearly those emails.

My heart goes out to all Joe's family and friends.
Godspeed Joseph Curreri!
Love ya,

Jeff Lee