Press Releases

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after formally asking the United States Navy to consider naming one of its new warships the "U.S.S. Granite Mountain" in honor of the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished during the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire:

"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.

So I penned this letter to the U.S. Navy officially asking the Navy to consider naming one of its new warships the “U.S.S. Granite Mountain.” Granite Mountain is located just outside Prescott, Arizona and was the namesake for the crew. There is a memorial there now, and the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park was dedicated in 2016 as a place to remember the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot Firefighters who were lost on June 30, 2013, while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire.