Sailor, 19, Was ‘Living the Dream.’ Then, His Dad Got a Call That He Was Missing: ‘My Universe Imploded’

Jose Rivera III, the father of the late Navy Sailor Jose Antonio Rivera Lynch IV, recalls the moment when his “world collapsed.”

Speaking with PEOPLE, the 63-year-old father says he received a devastating call about his 19-year-old son, who went missing on Monday, July 28, during a training exercise aboard the USS George Washington in the Indian Ocean, just north of Australia.

“So I get home on Monday after work, and I get the call,” Rivera remembers. The caller said, “So we have information about your son, and we need to speak face-to-face.”

Rivera thought at first that his son might have gotten in trouble. “Immediately I think, ‘Okay, he got in trouble. What happened?’ And they said, ‘Are you in your house?’ I said, ‘Well, I’ll be shortly. I’m turning in,’ ” he recalls. The caller was later identified as a casualty notification officer.

“When I see the car, that’s when my world collapsed. The first person I see coming out of the car is the chaplain, and I went to the floor. I was done,” Rivera says.

The officer told him, “Sir, your son has been involved in a man overboard incident. He has been missing since Monday at around 10:28 a.m. and has not been recovered.” Rivera says he is still trying to come to terms with it.

After Rivera Lynch, an aviation boatswain’s mate (launch/recovery equipment) airman, went missing, the U.S. Navy, Australian Defence, and Australian Border Forces conducted over 45 hours of continuous search and rescue operations, covering about 2,200 square miles before suspending the search in the Timor Sea.

On July 30, Rivera Lynch was declared lost at sea.

Rivera, an Army veteran and former combat medic, also shared the last phone call he had with his son.

“We were in the car having a nice conversation,” Rivera says, recalling that he, his wife (his son’s stepmom), and his brother-in-law were on the call the day before Rivera Lynch went missing.

“I remember telling him, ‘I’m so proud of you. You are doing so well. Just stay focused. … You are the best of me. You have the calm, the best of me.’ Those were the last words I spoke to my son,” he says.

Not hearing from his son anymore has been difficult. “We were always in constant communication. My son and I had a strong father-son relationship,” Rivera explains.

“He would call me whenever he could and send pictures. When he got to Japan, where he was assigned, he was living the dream,” Rivera adds. Rivera Lynch enlisted in June 2024 and joined the USS George Washington in January.

Rivera Lynch, born in Milwaukee, lived with his dad in Middleburg, Florida, where Rivera works as a command information system security manager at the nearby naval air base.

Rivera says he has “received overwhelming support from the Navy here locally and abroad, which makes it a little more bearable.”

He remembers his son as “vibrant, educated, and beloved by many. This is a kid who could write a code in five minutes. He played the saxophone, played the piano, very skillful.”

The family and friends held a memorial for Rivera Lynch on Aug. 2 in Middleburg. “People came from all over to remember him, and it was very touching,” Rivera says.

The Navy shared its condolences with the family. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with Airman Rivera Lynch’s family, friends, and shipmates during this incredibly difficult time,” said Rear Adm. Eric Anduze after the sailor’s identity was released on Aug. 1.

“The courage and dedication shown by all personnel involved in this operation exemplifies the professionalism and commitment that defines our Navy,” Anduze added, referring to the search efforts from Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77, HSM 51, Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62), Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86), fixed wing aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, two P-8 Poseidon aircraft, and patrol boats from the Australian Defence Force, Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Otway, and an Australian Border Force Dash-8 aircraft.

Despite the search being suspended, Rivera believes his son is still with him in spirit. “I have accepted that my son is no longer with me physically, but he is in me. He is in me, and I will continue his legacy,” he says.