In Memory of Petty Officer Jon Thomas Tumilson, ROCKFORD, Iowa - Petty Officer Jon Thomas Tumilson, 35, a native of Rockford, died Saturday, Aug. 6, 2011, while conducting special operations combat in Afghanistan. He was born July 1, 1976, at Osage, Iowa. He joined the U.S. Navy on July 17, 1995 following graduation from the Rudd Rockford Marble Rock Community School. He graduated from Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., in September 1995. He completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL School, Coronado, Calif., in April 2002. He served in three west-coast based Special Warfare units and in two east-coast based Special Warfare units. Petty Officer Tumilson was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Defense Meritorious Service Medal. His other awards include the Bronze Star for Valor, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Action Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and four Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, and Rifle Expert and Pistol Expert Medals. He deployed on multiple deployments to include Afghanistan and Iraq.