Thank you for the beautiful patch. I will have it sown to a jacket given to me by my dear friend Gene. I grew up across the street from him in Oregon and learned about wildfire prevention from him. Gene started back burning during high school summers. Gene was a smoke jumper and a member of several Hotshot crews in the PNW and Alaska. He told me of visiting the memorial in Prescott…it was one of his highest honors to remember the 19 lives lost in the Yarnell fire. When I saw him last at his home in Kenai…we watched “Only the Brave” together. We lost Gene last May. He was 66 years old. Even though I knew about what happened via the news in 2013…Gene helped me understand the incredible sacrifices of the men, women, and families who serve us in fighting wildfires. I was on the standby list for evacuation in the Oregon 2020 wildfires….. thanks to great men and women, I did not have to move from my home. So thank you for the patch…I plan to purchase more items in the future. I will wear it proudly. Thank you for all you do for the families you care for. The Granite Mountain Hotshots will never be forgotten.
