[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 110 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE MEMORY OF THE FALLEN HEROES OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN 
                        INTERAGENCY HOTSHOT CREW

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the 
Senate now proceed to S. Res. 270.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 270) honoring the memory of the 
     fallen heroes of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot 
     Crew.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged and the Senate 
proceeded to consider the resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; 
that the Kelly amendment at the desk to the preamble be considered and 
agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the 
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 270) was agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 2120) was agreed to as follows

                    (Purpose: To amend the preamble)

       In the fourth whereas clause of the preamble, strike 
     ``lightening'' and insert ``lightning''.

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, as amended, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 270

       Whereas the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew 
     (referred to in this preamble as the ``Granite Mountain 
     Hotshots'') was organized within the Prescott, Arizona, Fire 
     Department;
       Whereas the Granite Mountain Hotshots was originally formed 
     in 2002 as a fuels mitigation crew, but later transitioned to 
     a hotshot crew in 2008, becoming the first municipal hotshot 
     crew in the United States;
       Whereas the mission of the Granite Mountain Hotshots was to 
     perform physically demanding fireline work in hazardous 
     conditions, on difficult terrain, and in extreme heat;
       Whereas, on June 28, 2013, lightning ignited the Yarnell 
     Hill Fire on a ridge west of the community of Yarnell, 
     Arizona;
       Whereas, on June 30, 2013, 19 firefighters of the Granite 
     Mountain Hotshots gave their lives battling the Yarnell Hill 
     Fire in Yavapai County, Arizona, including--
       (1) Eric Marsh, 43, who served as the superintendent of the 
     Granite Mountain Hotshots;
       (2) Jesse Steed, 36;
       (3) Clayton Whitted, 28;
       (4) Robert Caldwell, 23;
       (5) Travis Carter, 31;
       (6) Christopher MacKenzie, 30;
       (7) Travis Turbyfill, 27;
       (8) Andrew Ashcraft, 29;
       (9) Joe Thurston, 32;
       (10) Wade Parker, 22;
       (11) Anthony Rose, 23;
       (12) Garret Zuppiger, 27;
       (13) Scott Norris, 28;
       (14) Dustin DeFord, 24;
       (15) William ``Billy'' Warneke, 25;
       (16) Kevin Woyjeck, 21;
       (17) John Percin, Jr., 24;
       (18) Grant McKee, 21; and
       (19) Sean Misner, 26;
       Whereas the Yarnell Hill Fire resulted in--
       (1) the largest wildland firefighter loss of life in 80 
     years;
       (2) the sixth deadliest firefighter tragedy in the history 
     of the United States; and
       (3) the greatest loss of life for fire services in the 
     United States since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 
     2001;
       Whereas, on July 9, 2013, thousands of people attended a 
     memorial service held in Prescott Valley, Arizona, including 
     then-Vice President Joseph R. Biden and representatives from 
     more than 100 hotshot crews from across the United States; 
     and
       Whereas the memory of each fallen firefighter is honored at 
     the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park, which was 
     dedicated in 2016: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the memory of the fallen heroes of the Granite 
     Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew of the Prescott, Arizona, 
     Fire Department;
       (2) extends its deepest condolences and sympathy to the 
     surviving families of the 19 firefighters lost in the line of 
     duty; and
       (3) commends the bravery and sacrifice made by these fallen 
     wildland firefighters in the service of their communities.

     

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