An elite 29-year-old firefighter who died in Montana last week was remembered Thursday for his infectious sense of humor, his love of the outdoors and even the joy he took from a good round of the "Call of Duty" video game series.
But nearly everyone who spoke at Brent Witham’s public memorial service in San Bernardino, California, also mentioned his unrelenting work ethic.
Here, Forest Service Commander Rita Wears reads a portion of Witham’s eulogy that was written by his uncle:
“His goal was to be the superintendent of Vista Grande one day. Remember that he loved both his biological family and his firefighting family. And he loved the Forest Service. Brent died doing what he loved – fighting fires.”
Brent Witham was a member of the respected California-based Vista Grande Hotshot crew. He was killed August second while felling trees on the Lolo Peak Fire.
