Jon T. Tumilson: The Dog Who Waited, Extortion 17
A Navy SEAL sniper with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group whose loyal Labrador, Hawkeye, lay beside his casket in a photograph seen around the world. He gave his life on August 6th, 2011, in the Extortion 17 helicopter crash in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, at the age of 35.
Service Record
- Branch
- USN
- Unit
- SEAL Team 1, Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG)
- Station Assigned
- Oceana, VA
- Hometown
- Rockford, IA
- Family
- Survived by his mother, Kathy Tumilson, and his sister, Joy.
- Fallen On
- August 6th, 2011
Born and raised in Rockford, Iowa, a town of fewer than 900 people, Jon showed little interest in reading until his freshman year of high school, when his mother offered to buy him any book he wanted. He chose Richard Marcinko's Rogue Warrior and became instantly consumed by the story of the Navy SEALs. From that day forward, every school project and book report was about the Teams.
Jon enlisted the summer after his junior year of high school, in 1994, but found the SEAL pipeline full after graduation. Undeterred, he took an intelligence assignment, graduated A-school at the top of his class, and finally entered Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in October 2001, weeks after September 11th. He completed BUD/S Class 238 in April 2002 and earned his Trident.
Jon deployed twice to Iraq, earning a Bronze Star for bravery under fire, and twice more to Afghanistan, before advancing through the Naval Special Warfare Development Group's elite sniper selection course. Those who served with him described a man of contradictions: a ferociously disciplined athlete who ran marathons and triathlons, and a gentle, easygoing presence friends called a "human Labrador," someone you simply wanted with you everywhere. A family friend, worried when he enlisted, said, "I just hope they don't take his sensitivity away from him." Those who trained him were emphatic: they didn't.
Jon's constant companion through it all was his chocolate Labrador, Hawkeye. On August 6, 2011, Petty Officer Tumilson was aboard the CH-47 Chinook helicopter callsign Extortion 17, part of a Naval Special Warfare quick reaction force responding to support U.S. Army Rangers engaged with insurgent forces in Wardak Province. When the helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, all 38 aboard were killed, the greatest single-incident loss of life in Naval Special Warfare history.
At his funeral in Rockford, more than 1,500 people, nearly twice the town's population, filled the gymnasium. Hawkeye walked to the front, lay down beside the flag-draped casket, and did not move for the rest of the service. The photograph of that moment traveled around the world, a wordless expression of grief that reminded a nation of the quiet devotion behind every uniform. Special Warfare Operator First Class Jon T. Tumilson gave his life exactly as he lived it: fully, generously, and for the people he loved.
To learn more about Jon T. Tumilson and other fallen heroes, please visit:
On behalf of myself and everyone at BoneFrog Coffee, I want to express our deepest condolences to the family of Jon Tumilson, who gave his life for our country. Words cannot capture the weight of this loss or the gratitude we feel for his courage and sacrifice. He was more than a warrior, he was a brother, a patriot, and a man whose generosity and gentleness touched everyone who knew him, human and canine alike. His sacrifice will never be forgotten, and his memory will live on in our hearts and in the values we strive to uphold. To his family and all those who loved him, we share in your grief and stand with you, honoring his legacy with unwavering respect and gratitude.
Long Live The Brotherhood!!
Tim Cruickshank LCDR, USN (SEAL) Ret. and the BoneFrog Coffee Team