WASHINGTON – Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar has requested that the United States Navy consider naming one of its new warships the “U.S.S. Granite Mountain.” Gosar hopes to honor of the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished during the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire.
In a Facebook post, Gosar explained how he came to make the request: “Recently, Fire Chief Light in Prescott reached out to me to see if we could ask the Navy to name a warship after the Yarnell 19, the 19 firefighters that died in the 2013 Yarnell fire. I thought this was a great idea and it would honor the fallen as well as honor the military. What better embodies the fighting spirit, suitable for a warship, than memorializing the 19 fallen fire fighters who sacrificed their young lives.”
On June 30, the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed while fighting the Yarnell Fire. The 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots:
Eric Marsh – Jesse Steed – Clayton Whitted – Robert Caldwell – Travis Carter – Travis Turbyfill -Christopher MacKenzie – Andrew Ashcraft – Joe Thurston – Wade Parker – Anthony Rose – Garret Zuppiger – Scott Norris – Dustin DeFord – William Warneke – Kevin Woyjeck – John Percin Jr. – Grant McKee – Sean Misner
