On August 6th, 30 American troops, including 22 Navy SEALS, were killed when a Taliban insurgent shot down a Chinook helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade. One of the men lost on that horrible day was 35-year-old Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson of Rockford, Iowa.
At a funeral service held earlier this week for the fallen SEAL his cousin Lisa Pembleton took the above heart-wrenching photograph of Tumilson’s loyal Labrador retriever Hawkeye as he laid at his master’s side. Hawkeye had walked up to the casket at the beginning of the service and then fell with an audible sigh as nearly 1,500 mourners looked on.
The dog was so intertwined within the family’s life that they had Hawkeye lead them down the aisle in front of a packed gymnasium at the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Community School where the memorial was held. As Tumilson’s close friend, Scott Nichols, made his way to the set-up stage to speak about his friend, Hawkeye followed and laid down showing devotion to the end.
The amateur photographer said of her photograph that:
“I felt compelled to take one photo to share with family members that couldn’t make it or couldn’t see what I could from the aisle. To say that he was an amazing man doesn’t do him justice. The loss of Jon to his family, military family and friends is immeasurable.’’
In the news war gets spoken of so casually that we all become callous to the price so many pay. Thank you Lisa for an incredible image that poignantly reflects just how immense and painful those sacrifices can be.
UPDATE – Here is a CBS news report about Tumilson’s funeral with a very brief video clip of Hawkeye laying beside the coffin:
