Patty Murray: “I come to the Senate Chamber this evening to join my colleague, Senator Maria Cantwell, in acknowledging four young…”

“I come to the Senate Chamber this evening to join my colleague, Senator Maria Cantwell, in acknowledging four young Americans who lost their lives in service to our country last evening. Like many Americans, this morning I awoke to the very tragic news that four firefighters had died while battling a wildfire near Winthrop, WA. Today I want my colleagues and the American people to know the names of those four brave firefighters: Tom Craven, 30 years old, of Ellensburg, WA; Karen Fitzpatrick, 18 years old of Yakima, WA; Devin Weaver, 21, of Yakima; and Jessica Johnson, 19, also from Yakima. These were young people. These were people who put themselves in harms way to keep the rest of us safe. Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of those four courageous firefighters. It's hard to imagine the dangers that firefighters face every day. But they choose to fight fires to help protect the rest of us--our families and our communities. When something like this happens, it makes all of us stop and think about what they've sacrificed for our safety.”