ROCKFORD, IOWA – North Iowans are invited to celebrate the life of hometown hero, fallen Navy SEAL Jon T. Tumilson, on Saturday, July 7 in Rockford, Iowa.
Tumilson was killed Aug. 6, 2011 while conducting special operations combat in Afghanistan when the Chinook helicopter was travelling in was shot down by enemy fire. The nation mourned the death of this highly decorated SEAL and his fellow 29 service members, who perished in the deadliest day for American forces in the war in Afghanistan.
(PHOTO:Jon and his dog, Hawkeye, courtesy of the Tumilson family.)
As Jon’s July 1 birthday nears and the first anniversary of his death approaches, Jon’s life will be commemorated with an exciting celebration in his hometown of Rockford, Iowa. With a 5k race, memorial statue groundbreaking, family activities, food, and fireworks, this will be an event North Iowans will not want to miss! The day also serves as the launch for the military appreciation “Operation Go Crush It” initiative, and everyone is encouraged to bring new, non-perishable items for the troops – such as non-perishable food and snacks, comfort/hygiene items, entertainment items such as books and magazines, CD’s/DVD’s, stationary, etc. – that will be packed and sent to U.S. military overseas. (A complete list of needed items can be found here.
More information, including details on race registration and updated event details, can be found at www.3minutesout.org, or by following “Remember JT” and “In Memory of Navy Seal Jon Tumilson” on Facebook.
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SATURDAY JULY 7, 2012
7:00am-10:00am: LIONS CLUB PANCAKE BREAKFAST at Rockford Community Center. All attending the pancake breakfast who are not participating in the race are encouraged to line the streets from the Main Street bridge to the high school to cheer on race participants!
8:00 am: JON TUMILSON GO CRUSH IT 5K CHALLENGE RUN/WALK START. The race route will start at the Fossil and Prairie Park, pass by Jon’s childhood home, and finish at the Rockford Community School.
9:00am-3:00pm: CRAFT FAIR at Memorial Park (downtown Rockford)
10:30am: AWARD CEREMONY FOR 5K RACE on Main Street Rockford
11:00am: IOWA REMEMBER THE FALLEN WALL CEREMONY at 1st Security Bank in Rockford
12:00pm: GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY FOR JON’S MEMORIAL STATUE at Rockford Fossil and Prairie Park. Funds have been raised and sculpting has begun on a life-size bronze statue of Jon and his beloved dog, Hawkeye, that will be placed at the Prairie Park. Projected completion date is Veterans Day 2012.
12:00-2:00pm: LUNCH at Memorial Park (served by Rockford United Methodist Church)
12:00-4:00pm: KID AND FAMILY ACTIVITIES AT MEMORIAL PARK. $5 Wristband gives you access to all kids activities through the day (Military vehicles to explore, sumo wrestling, rock climbing wall, bounce house, face painting, and other fun activities). Hero tribute gear honoring Jon will also be available in the Memorial Park Gazebo.
12:00-4:00pm: MILITARY APPRECIATION. 3 Minutes Out will be launching “Operation Go Crush It.” Come see Bay and Bay Transport’s Military Tribute Cab and explore other military vehicles. Bring your new non-perishable items for our troops, which we will pack and send them off to soldiers overseas. (A list of needed items can be found at www.3minutesout.org/events/2012-heroboxlist.pdf) A coloring and letter writing station will also be available for you to let the troops know how much you appreciate their service and sacrifice for our country. These will be included in the care packages that are sent.
3:30pm-1:00am: LIVE MUSIC AND STREET DANCE
5:00-7:00pm: DINNER at Rockford Fire Station (served by Rockford Volunteer Fire Department)
9:30-10:00pm: FREE FIREWORKS DISPLAY at Rockford Little League Ball Field (Jon’s favorite holiday was the 4th of July and he LOVED fireworks, we hope everyone will join us for this final celebration to close out our day)
DAY-LONG EVENTS: Take the day and enjoy all the things that Jon loved about growing up in his hometown.
• Explore the Fossil and Prairie Park. Walk the paths, dig for fossils, and visit the visitor center to see what makes this place so unique and someplace everyone will want to visit again.
• Pay respects and visit Jon’s final resting place at Riverside Cemetery.
• Visit the Iowa Remember the Fallen Wall in Rockford’s 1st Security Bank lobby. You won’t want to miss this!
• Stop by the High School Memorial Garden, which is projected to be complete by event day.
NOTE FROM JON’S FAMILY: It is going to be a fantastic day! We are hoping for a fun event that is a way for us to celebrate Jon’s life and the sacrifice he made, but also a way for us to thank the community for all their love and support over the last 11 months. There should be something for everyone, so we hope to see you all there!
I still think of his dog Hawkeye laying in the gym by Jon casket such a touching picture.
MROU812: My sympathies for your older brother, He will be in my prayers.
Calm down Shakespeare!!! I see how you roll, your a guy who has to give his 2 cents worth on everything, it’s what you self righteous hollier than though types like to do. You admonish others for including All you get offended, you make the same type statements, you get all defensive cuss, and give your 200 to 300 word response to why YOU can include us ALL. Maybe you should try holding your tongue once in awhile, get down off your soap box, try not to be the guy with ALL the answers for a change!! Peter you really don’t have to prove anything!! Stop trying so hard!! I really believe your a very articulate and intelligent person. Insolent Bastard!! Really?????
He enlisted, he knew the risks, he died. Don’t make him a hero. The Viet Nam draftees, sent over unwillingly, they were the heros. A kid dies in a truck accident at Camp Dodge. Never even made it overseas, and gets a street named after him. If they didn’t want the risks,they should have stayed a civilian. Oh yes, and I enlisted, served in Viet Nam, and have the physical, mental and emotional baggage that goes with being over there. I just don’t need or want the sympathy.
You enlisted you knew the risks, the physical ,mental and emotional baggage, so I guess there’s no difference?????
mrou812 – I guess I don’t understand your reply. Yes, I enlisted. Yes, I knew that I would probably go to VN. Yes, I knew I could get killed, or at least be changed in some way. I just don’t understand your “no difference” remark. I did nothing that the young men and women aren’t doing today, enlisting and taking the risks. But they, like me, knew the risks, so we’re not heroes, just people who made a choice. It was the draftees who were the heroes. They didn’t have a choice. They were just sent off to die.
When I enlisted I didn’t expect to go to war but when the time came I went willingly because thats what I was trained for. I don’t see myself as a hero. Talking to my son he told me that in his eyes I was a hero, anybody that willingly or unwillingly put their lives on the line for their country, family, friends, or strangers was a hero. You don’t have to believe it but he does and there are many more out there that does.
Annon: I’m not being disrespectful! I never called anyone a hero! I simply stated this man died serving his country, serving us, I agree with you 100% on the ones who were drafted and paid with thier lives, my older brother was one of them, they are truly unsung heroes, you included wether you want that title or not, you didn’t get your due when you came back!! You bear the scars to this day! It’s not sympathy I have for you! I thank you for your service!! Your all warriors the MIAs POWs, those killed in action, both enlisted and drafted those of you who made it home and those who are yet to come home. Our government really sucks at taking care of our veterans once they are home, shame on us for allowing that to happen!!
Remember this man made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us!! A true warrior!, God bless him and his family!!!
You know Peter, you should be the one over there getting your ass shot off. You are just like the ones that spit on the soldiers when they came back from Nam. They didn’t ask to go over there and if they had their way I am sure they would have much rather stayed home with their family’s. They went because they wanted to protect those family’s and idiot’s like you just happen to be in the crowd. What a shitbag comment to make for no reason except to make your self feel big and brave and you are neither. You should be ashamed to live in this country that was built on the blood of brave men.
I totally agree LVS! I get that opinions are like a*holes everyone has one but come on I think this is one opinion that should be removed from the site! I follow the Facebook page for JT though I don’t personally know the family reading their posts and all the pain and heartache they endured and continue to daily is heart wrenching. And then there are people like Peter L who I guess don’t quite understand what it is like to have a brother, son, uncle and friend taken from them far too soon!
My intention is not to hijack this thread. I made my comment, and I stand by it. My comment does nothing to discredit the sacrifice and bravery this man may or may not have made. None of us know the conditions they were surrounded with. My comment was to state to the person I replied to NOT to include everyone by your statement, as there are many people in this country and land, and not all of us believe in what you believe. We all have our own ideas of who are heroes and what criteria meets that. This criteria does not meet that for me, and I will not kowtow to all of the traditional banter blindly “honoring” men who were killed in terrible and pointless circumstances. But since you started, I will too. Ultimately, and I say this with sincere remorse for the families and people who have gone thru these ordeals, the country needs to learn a hard lesson in war making…and again with remorse I say this, but we should not be glorifying and honoring men who are part of shady political operations. It’s the only way to deter and correct the future. Please honor this man for the sacrifice he made and his intentions for doing so, but do not say that he represents all of us, because he does not. There are many of us who reject Bush’s war, and always will.
If we don’t stand up now and correct the wrongs, we will be dooming future John Tumilson’s to similar fates. I won’t do that. By all of the hero praise and worship, you are essentially tricking future generations of young men and women into believing that somehow fighting and dying in a war will make them immortal. Why brainwash the youth?
I know that you believe what you feel is right peter but like I mentioned in another posting if you were over there seeing what we saw you might change your mind about this so called “Bush’s War”. I went over there because I didn’t want my sons to be fighting the same terrorists here on our land when they grew up. I have talked to people dead set against the war, told them stories of the civilians, showed them pictures. After talking to me they asked me why the media never reported on this stuff, their opinion of the war changed. I had a friend die over there, if you don’t want to accept the fact that he died so you could be free then don’t, but I do and my sons do, it’s your choice.
My first mission into iraq I saw both sides of the road lined with people and children clothed and naked begging for food and water, hundreds of them and I said even if they didn’t find wmd’s this was worth us being there. Everywhere we went people begging for food so we gave them what we could. We helped them rebuild their schools and houses and even fix their vehicles that were broke down on the roads and they repaid us by bringing us food. The majority of the people there were glad we were there. If I had to do it again I would.
So when You Peter L say that decriminalizing drugs will be better for our society your not speaking for all of us, when establishing land rights for everyone over 21 your not speaking for all of us over 21. Practice what you preach. Hypocrite. I’m sure if I took the time and looked at more of your rants I could find plenty more examples of your speaking for all, Christianity????
So have fun with that Zero