displays of the arts peculiarities and pitfalls. Juliann Ashcraft, an LDS wife and mother, appeared on the "Today" show and CBS news Tuesday morning to discuss her husband, who has been hailed as a hero. He radioed down to his crewmates, telling them his trigger point had been reached, and that he was heading for safe ground. Holding back tears, Juliann Ashcraft described text messages and photos she and her husband exchanged just before he died. I was able to beat back the anxiety, she said. offers a vision of sentimental unity for the common good in a town where Whats the point of living a life if you arent happy?. She said Wednesday that she would fight for. Yet here she was. ', Of his team, she added: 'They loved what they did. Only the Brave ties the characters private lives to their work lives Hes the one who noticed a banner hanging high up on the brick wall inside the fire station and pointed it out to Roxanne. Then Willis ended the conversation the way he does anytime he's speaking to a firefighter. Only the Brave excludes an entire world of activity thats integral to understanding the Granite Mountain Hotshots lives and locale, and American times at large. In short, Only the Brave comes off as Not only had it been the deadliest wildfire ever in Arizona, it was one of the worst in the United States. I feel like we need to do something for these guys, she said. Still dressed in his fire gear and reeking of smoke, he had wrapped Colleen in a bear hug and told her not to worry. emphasis on Eric and Brendans personal lives. It was about 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, 2013 when Juliann Ashcraft started getting alarming phone messages from friends. Published: 14:36 GMT, 6 August 2013 | Updated: 22:49 GMT, 6 August 2013. "Hey, chief," Marsh said. By nightfall, the fire was just 15 acres in size, though the town fire department warned residents: "Be on high alert if the wind changes direction.". They made their way there on back roads. "I want to be able to just be mourning my husband, be supporting my children, be figuring out what our new normal is," she said. precision of its form, giving rise to its emotional efficiency and At one point, Roxanne noticed that the Sawmill Fire had doubled in size overnight. City officials declined multiple requests for an interview, but Monday they sent a statement. Stephanie replied. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. CBS News obtained paperwork that shows Ashcraft did earn a full-time salary. Drivers could only need an MOT every two years under new government plans to save owners money - despite How much will YOUR broadband go up in price? Helicopters had been unable to reach the highly-trained men as they fought the flames in Yarnell and they could not be saved by their emergency shelters - tent-like structures meant to shield them from flames and heat. With their deaths, the department lost 20 per cent of its members. At 7:25 p.m., Colleen grabbed her phone and texted Travis' wife, Stephanie. mothers house. They died together. What you got was anger that only fostered more anger that has lasted to this day.. She never took her eyes off his casket until it was lowered into the ground. were killed fighting a wildfire near Yarnell, Ariz. Yet as I ", At 7:28, Colleen typed: "Heard there is a crew trapped surrounded by fire. for anyone who has read anything about the real-life Granite Mountain 2023 Cond Nast. Juliann Ashcraft's husband Andrew was a three-year veteran of the Granite Mountain Hotshots - and one of the 19 firefighters killed Sunday in the Arizona wildfire. She tells peopleRoxanne was a lot like that as a child. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. These men burned alive trying to save a community. When they were found on Sunday, all 19 shelters were deployed but some of the men's bodies were inside their individual shelters, while others were outside - indicating just how suddenly they were overcome by the flames. Whats Autopsies of the 19 firefighters have been conducted, and an investigation into what happened here begun. Andrew Ashcraft, 29, was dad to four kids. As a Prescott fire official would later recount, McDonough told his team to contact him on the radio if they needed anything. 'He was the most amazing man,' she said. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet.'. The 19 remaining Hotshots were deploying their emergency fire shelters lightweight cocoons made of reflective material intended as a firefighter's last resort. yearning for a less complex and more homogeneous society that, I On July 1, the day after the men were killed, Mrs Ashcraft was pictured distraught at a makeshift memorial in Prescott for the fallen firefighters. Andrew Ashcraft, 29, of Prescott, Ariz., was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of 19 firefighters who died battling a fire that swept through Yarnell, Ariz., on Sunday. Marsh and Willis had worked together for years, and were close friends as well as colleagues. 2 status. "The city has fully complied with all of the laws and employment policies that direct survivor benefits," the statement said. ", "I want to be a fire man," he wrote. But in rugged, hilly terrain like that where the Hotshots were working, any thunder activity or downdrafts can cause winds to shift and flames to shoot in all directions, fire experts say. He insisted on tucking the children in each night and leading them in their prayers. With family and friends to look after the children, she headed to Prescott's Mile High Middle School to grieve with the other families. 2023 www.azcentral.com. Lawton even joked with some new residents watching the flames from their front yards. Eric, for his part, is in a Juliann Ashcraft told Evans about her loss, saying of her husband: "You know there are moments when I think of him and I smile because I love him so much and then I feel guilty for smiling,. Do you or a loved one work for a Hotshot crew? It turns out, however, their families may not receive the same compensation. ", In the end, Ward said he voted to grant the enhanced benefits because "the facts in this case, in my opinion, appear to be that Andrew deserves what they are asking for. nickname Donut), but Donut masters the necessary tough physical Prescott High School physical education teacher and coach Lou Beneitone taught many of the Hotshots, and remembered Ashcraft as a fitness-oriented student. She and Billy used to go to nearby Patagonia often, to hike and fish, taking State Highway 83. Mac (Taylor Kitsch), a sexually crude and emotionally stunted colleague bonding (male bonding) thats part of the discipline and the teamwork A couple of miles away, Colleen Turbyfill was scanning Facebook when a news alert popped up about a Hotshot crew. Her husband was in his third season with the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew out of Prescott, Arizona. Harry loaded 20 cases of oranges and 16 bags of apples, about 350 pounds in all, onto a cart and then into their truck. As a result of the dispute, there were two separate memorial. Teddy bears, homemade banners, flower arrangements and fire department T-shirts from all over the country bake in the brutal summer sun. casually, just a few minutes click-around) at news about the Hotshots Cold, hard facts about how freezing winter weather can harm your health. delivered with familiar histrionics.) But the city of Prescott, where the Hotshots were based, is now claiming he was a seasonal worker, despite him working a 40 hour week year round, and denying Mrs Ashcraft full benefits. Because even though Billie Grace never got to meet her father, Roxanne wants her to remember him. Mr. She would whisper stories to Billie Grace about her daddy long before she could possibly understand. The fires have burned 191,000 acres and claimed at least thirty-one lives, and more destruction may be yet to come. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The 29-year-old former "rookie of the year" on the elite "Hotshot" team, was a father of four, all of whom are younger than 6 years old. Yet there she stood, her loss all too real. He was very upset with the city. There, officials gave some details of what had happened. By 9:30 a.m., the Hotshots had reached their destination on the fire's south end, near the Glen Ilah subdivision, about a quarter mile from Yarnell. Her husband Andrew was 29 years old. Everybody fighting the fire are Daddy Billys friends. Roxanne told them about the non-profit group. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Back in Prescott, Juliann Ashcraft was watching television with her children Ryder, 6; Shiloh, 4; Tate Andrew, 2; and Choice, 1. Erics is his pregnant. Anyone can read what you share. 'Quite literally, my bills are being paid by the good people of the world who are giving donations, because the city of Prescott isn't doing anything for us,' she told the TV station. 'And of course there was no reply and they all laid out there that night.'. The fire had crept close to an area Roxanne knew well. These men worked together," she said. Willis and three other men sat vigil with the firefighters all night, until their bodies were removed the next morning and transported to a medical examiner's office. She told the Today show how, apart from his family, fighting fires with the Granite Mountain Hotshots was his life. They took Billie Grace with them. In fact, he was one of 19 wildland firefighters who died in the line of duty that day, with just one member of the crew surviving. For a short time, no one knew who the lone survivor was. Prescott stood united; millions of dollars in donations poured in for the surviving families to help pay for things like groceries, mortgages and counseling. Juliann Ashcraft, the widow of fallen firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, one of 19 men who sacrificed his life battling a wildfire Sunday outside of Yarnell, Ariz., discussed the final text messages and photos she shared with her husband hours before he died. Along the way, moods changed and perceptions shifted as the families laid bare their demands for answers about the deaths of a crew skilled on fighting fires in the wild and for fairness over the benefits for the wives and children left behind. Harry stayed close to her. August 5, 2013 / 7:54 PM Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. It turns out that, just a few weeks after the tragedy, one widow, She was eating pizza with friends when the boy rushed up to her and asked if she could sew a button back on his shirt. 'Now I have four kids and myself, and I don't know what I'm going to do. Thanks to the photo, Juliann could at least picture where Andrew was. largeas anything in the movie. While her husband was on a break during the early stages of battling a massive fire on Sunday, Ashcraft said she texted pictures of their kids swimming. disputes that arose after the tragedy and that drove the townseemingly All 19 Hotshot families will receive worker's compensation and a one-off federal payment of $328,000. 'But he let us know that he loved us and missed us. of ordinary family life that contrasts with Erics own. They died together - doing what they loved.'. Another board member, Wade Ward of the Prescott Fire Department, said the question was difficult because "everything that we've gone through and continue to go through is unprecedented. LDS widow talks about Ariz. firefighter husband on the 'Today' show, CBS news - Deseret News from the community, conceal and reflect other sorts of nostalgiaa Ashcraft twice. political, as Fernanda Santos reported in 2014, in the Times. Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was one of 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona on June 30. Roxanne remembered how Billy and the other firefighterstired of MREs and protein bars. Chilling moment Plymouth gunman Jake Davison strolled along the road wielding shotgun as he murdered five People who drink alcohol more than once a WEEK are at higher risk of internet, gaming and exercise 'The tears, the time together lost': Kirstie Allsopp admits 'one of her greatest regrets' is forcing her Well, that fell a bit flat (white)! But the city is refusing to pay Mrs Ashcraft her husband's lifetime salary and health benefits, which together are worth millions, because it insists he was among 13 of the squad who were seasonal employees rather than full-timers. his company. Ashcraft's widow, Juliann Ashcraft, who has been the most prominent family member fighting to win full benefits for the families of the seasonal Hotshots, didn't testify at the hearing, but. "They never think it will happen to them.. All rights reserved. President Obama called the firefighters heroes and highly skilled professionals who 'put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet.'. That doesnt change, no matter what happens. But answers aren't expected still for months. He listened intently as she recounted her dream. She wants her to see her mother supporting the works they do, in honor of Billy. 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