It is hard to come to terms with Prescott becoming a city known to have experienced a “mega tragedy,” entering the ranks of community names like Newtown, Aurora or Boston. The death of Prescott’s 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots is – and probably always will be – one of the most significant and tragic moments in its history.
The loss was accompanied by many lessons, with more to come. One thing is certain – no city or town of any size is ever fully prepared to handle a “mega tragedy.” On one hand, we should be grateful that as a city we did not have experience handling such loss. On the other, even though it was a first for us, the entire community persevered, despite the vast emotional toll and seemingly insurmountable challenges we faced.
At this stage, it is critical for our community to move forward with a spirit of unity, respect and remembrance for the sacrifice made by the Granite Mountain Hotshots and their families. The many stories and lessons learned from this tragedy deserve a connection to the future that helps us to makes sense of what happened and to reflect on this experience in a way that motivates us to live our lives better.
Prescott is renowned for its preservation of the rich history and events that give our community its unique identity. One of our most important tasks at hand is finding an appropriate way to honor these men, their lives and families, and providing a place where our community can come together in grieving and healing.
Our next challenge is to develop and then build a permanent memorial through a process involving input from the Hotshot family members, the Prescott community and the City.
The City of Prescott has been researching how other cities have developed memorials in order to determine the best course of action. It is imperative for us to ensure the memorial planning process is handled properly so the resulting memorial is an enduring legacy that provides proper reverence so that future generations will appreciate the magnitude of this loss. While we cannot predict how long this process might take, it is important that it be well thought out and neither hurried nor delayed too long. A successful effort will require both leadership and the committed effort of many to work with a collaborative spirit through a delicate process.
Creating a memorial involves achieving balance in capturing all of the important historical aspects, each of which holds a varying level of significance to individual healing. Whether it is the tributes that adorned the wall at Fire Station 7, the candlelight vigil or the memorial service, all of the emotions, milestones and events that followed the tragic day of June 30 were essential to this event.
The most important design element of a future memorial will be to honor the legacy of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and express the impact of their loss on Prescott. There will be a range of emotions for each visitor to experience, but the resiliency of our community and the important lessons from this event should stay with them forever. QCBN
Marlin Kuykendall is the Mayor of Prescott.
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