Recently we honored the brave and loyal dog Cairo who is a Navy Seal and was one of the members of the team that killed Osama Bin Laden.
This month we honor another member of the Navy Seals canine unit, a dog named Hawkeye. Hawkeye is a black Labrador retriever and the faithful companion and partner of Navy Seal Jon Tumilson.
Petty Officer Tumilson, 35, was from Iowa. He was one of the 22 Navy Seals killed in Afghanistan on August 6, when enemy forces shot down a Chinook helicopter. His life long dream and ambition was to be a Navy Seal.
His funeral was held in Rockford, Iowa on August 19 and Hawkeye led the funeral procession. He then proceeded to lie faithfully at his friends casket throughout the funeral.
If that kind of devotion does not raise a lump in your throat you are not human.
Does anyone remember Greyfriar’s Bobby? Bobby was a Skye terrier who spent 14 years guarding the grave of his master in Scotland in the 19th century. Walt Disney made a wonderful movie about this true story in 1961.
The loyalty of dogs like these leaves no doubt as to why the bond between humans and canines is so strong. There is also a "teachable moment" here for drawing our children's attention to the issue of strong character values.
So here is to Mobile Ed Productions School Assembly Dog of the Month - Hawkeye! May his devotion be an inspiration to us all!