(Image source: Lisa Pembleton)
BY JJ BAILEY
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Dogs have long been known as Man’s best friend. They give love, protection, and above all- loyalty. On August 19, in Rockford, Iowa, one dog demonstrated all of them to the very end.
Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson was killed along with 29 others in Afghanistan on August 6 when insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter. At his funeral, his dog - Hawkeye- never left his side.
“Hawkeye was at the funeral to say good-bye and led the family into the ceremony, and then spent the rest of the service, as close to the casket as possible.” (Fox News)
The picture has gripped the nation, and as over 1500 people attended his funeral, each one witnessed the bond between a dog and his master, unbreakable even in death. A blogger for The Stir notes- moments like these are rare for soldiers overseas, for whom personal relationships can be difficult.
“You aren't home long enough to start one up, you leave so quickly that people are afraid to share their heart. But he always had his Labrador Retriever. He was loved. In the way that only a dog can love.”
The Tumilson’s family said he died doing what he loved- and he was good at it. The Navy Seal had been awarded numerous medals since he joined the Navy in 1995, and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, and Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
Finally Ology recognizes what the picture really says. The fight isn’t over, and the cost of that fight will continue to be measured in images like these.
“... it is the single most depressing picture ever taken. Beyond that, it pretty much speaks for itself.
We are still at war.”
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Transcript by Newsy
