Loyal dog mourns at casket of fallen Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson at funeral in Rockford, Iowa

ROCKFORD, Iowa - He knew his master was gone.

Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson was one of 30 Americans who died when his helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan earlier this month. And during his funeral in his hometown of Rockford, Iowa this week, his dog Hawkeye refused to leave his side.

Hawkeye laid by Tumilson's casket for the duration of the funeral, keeping a watchful eye on his master.

About 1,500 people showed up in the Rockford senior high school gym to honor and remember Tumilson. His sisters Kristie and Joy described him as someone they always looked up to -- someone who always showed so much strength, courage, determination and selfless love.

Fellow SEALs say Tumilson was someone with an unmatched work ethic and character. They say he was not only a fellow SEAL, but a brother and a friend.

Tumilson desired to be a Navy SEAL. When he was 15, he wrote a paper about it.

The last line in that paper was, "Now you know what I want to do for the next 20 or so years of my life."

And as fate would have it, Tumilson turned 35 just last month.