Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer speaks at memorial for Yarnell Hill firefighters
Jul 9, 2013, 1:02 PM | Updated: 1:02 pm
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer spoke at a memorial service Tuesday for 19 firefighters who were killed battling the Yarnell Hill wildfire.
“We come together to honor and mourn 19 brave men,” she said. “They were 19 heroes gone at the turn of the wind.”
Brewer said, despite the tragic loss of the 19 hotshots, that Arizona was lucky to have been the place the men and their families called home.
“How wonderful it is to know that Arizona was home to 19 men like those we honor today,” she said, adding that all of the firefighters were Arizonans, including those born in other states.
Brewer said that she was filled with hope because of the way the community and state has come together through prayers, vigils, donations, flowers and notes, along with numerous memorials.
“This is the Arizona I know,” she said.
Brewer also thanked both the people of the United States and the federal government, including President Barack Obama, whom she said offered kind words and any assistance the state needed.”
