Contrary to claims made by insurgents, Axelson's body had not been beheaded, military officials said.

Axelson, 29, was one of four SEALS in a counter-terrorism team who were last heard from June 28 when they called for reinforcements.

One of the SEALS on the four-man team with Axelson, was located alive July 3. His name has not been released.

The bodies of the two other SEALS — Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny P. Dietz, who was assigned to a SEAL team from Virginia Beach, Va., and Lt. Michael Murphy, 29, who was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team one at Pearl Harbor along with Axelson — were found July 4, the Department of Defense has said.

Three other Pearl Harbor-based SEALs — Senior Chief Daniel Healy and Petty Officers 2nd Class Shane Patton and James Suh — were killed along with five other SEALs and eight Army flight crew members when the Chinook helicopter they were aboard was shot down June 28 while attempting to deliver the reinforcement SEALs to help those on the ground.

According to the information released at the memorial service, Axelson was raised in Cupertino, Calif., and entered the Navy in December 2000. He joined SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One in December 2002 and deployed to Afghanistan in March 2005 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.