The Army veteran who tackled and stopped a gunman at an LGBT club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last year will attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Richard Fierro, who retired from the military as a major in the Army, will attend the speech as the guest of Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO). A former Army Ranger, Crow applauded Fierro's bravery in a virtual press conference before the address.
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“One of the things that Rich and I know is that when young men or women stand up and take that oath, it is a lifetime oath to serve our country and community. It doesn’t end when you take the uniform off, and there’s no greater illustration of that than Rich Fierro, who was compelled into action and service in the greatest tradition and spirit of military," Crow said.
Fierro said he was honored to be attending the speech. He said he had watched State of the Union speeches for many years in the past, including while he was on active duty.
“I’ve watched it when I was a soldier, I’ve watched it when I was a kid, and now just to be a part of it is amazing, and it’s a blessing," Fierro said.
Fierro attended Club Q in November with his wife, daughter, and his daughter's boyfriend — one of the five people killed in the rampage. His wife and daughter were among the 18 injured.
Another man, naval officer Thomas James, helped Fierro tackle and disarm the shooter on Nov. 19. Although James is not attending the State of the Union, he was invited by Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) along with Fierro to his State of the State address last month, according to the Denver Gazette.
In the wake of the shooting, Crow has pushed for what he deems "common sense" policies, such as stricter background checks and "assault weapon" bans.
“There are still people that die in car accidents, but I can tell you that there are substantially fewer people that die by car accidents now that we have headlights and tail lights and airbags and seat belts,” he said in the press conference.
“If there are things we can do that are common sense that we can build a coalition around that are broadly supported by people that also respects responsible firearm ownership and the heritage in America of that — which is important to me — then we should do it," the representative said.
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The president's speech is expected to start at 9 p.m. EST on Capitol Hill.