Two National Guard members were tasked with serving the nation. One is dead as the other fights for his life after shooting
CNN, US ARMY NATIONAL GUARD, POOL, MIRWAIS KHAN AMIRI
By Gabe Cohen, Nicky Robertson, Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN
Martinsburg, West Virginia (CNN) — On a day when many families gather across the country to give thanks, a National Guard member’s family is mourning her death after an ambush-style shooting in Washington, DC, as her colleague fights for his life while their West Virginia communities ask for prayers.
“She’s just passed away,” President Donald Trump said of US Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, in a Thanksgiving call to service members. “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now.”
US Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, who was also injured in the shooting on Wednesday, remains hospitalized in critical condition following surgery.
“Please keep my son in your prayers,” Wolfe’s father, Jason Wolfe, told CNN.
His son is “a great person” and “he’s a fighter,” he shared.
The National Guard members were two of thousands who responded to the nation’s capital in August as part of Trump’s surge of federal law enforcement in the area.
Here is what we know about the two National Guard members:
Sarah Beckstrom
Hoping others could spend Thanksgiving home, Beckstrom had volunteered to work in DC over the holiday.
“She volunteered, as did many of those guardsmen and women, so other people could be home with their families, yet now their families are in hospital rooms with them while they are fighting for their lives,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News on Thursday.
Beckstrom, of Summersville, West Virginia, first began her service on June 26, 2023, and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade, West Virginia Army National Guard.
Even before joining the military, she had “always demonstrated the strength, character, and commitment that make our school and community proud,” according to Webster County High School in Upperglade, where she graduated in 2023.
Her father was next to her on Thanksgiving, facing the severity of his daughter’s condition before she died, according to The New York Times.
“I’m holding her hand right now,” Gary Beckstrom told the Times by phone.
Adam Carr, who said he dated Beckstrom for six years, called her a “loving, caring person” who “had a huge heart.” They grew apart during her time in Washington, DC, and broke up about a month ago, he said.
“She’d wake up in the mornings with me when I was going to work,” Carr told CNN. “She’d make me lunch before I left, because I never really wanted to and didn’t care, but she did. She’d be waiting for me whenever I came home, she’d be all excited waiting at the door to give me a hug when I walked in.”
“No matter what I was doing, she was always next to my side,” he added.
Beckstrom had hoped to one day join the ranks of the FBI and saw the National Guard as a pathway to that goal, Carr said. She was originally dreading going to DC but had really grown to love it there, he said, even volunteering to stay longer.
“I loved her to pieces,” he said. “She never deserved any of that. I always wished the best for her.”
A vigil was held for the two National Guard members in Webster Springs, West Virginia, Thursday, where one woman spoke about meeting Beckstrom in a nursing class.
“I mean, I did not know a single soul here or anywhere that was as nice as she was or as caring,” the woman said. “She really just made everybody happier.”
Local and federal law enforcement lined the streets in Washington, DC, Thursday night during a dignified transfer for Beckstrom, in a procession held to honor the remains of a fallen service member.
Andrew Wolfe
Wolfe is the friend and neighbor who would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needs it, Michael Langone told CNN on Thursday.
Langone, who lives in the apartment next door to Wolfe’s in Martinsburg, West Virginia, described him as a “great guy, great neighbor.”
“I just hope his family’s doing okay with it,” Langone said. “They’ve always been good to us, and we’ve always looked out for each other, and that’s about being a good neighbor.”
Wolfe has been a member of the West Virginia National Guard since February 5, 2019, and is assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing.
In his hometown of Martinsburg, neighbors and a former schoolmate were shocked at the news of the shooting.
“It spread so quickly,” said Tara Newcomb, who went to school with Wolfe and was a few years behind him.
“A lot of people liked him and knew him. I hope he’s doing okay,” Newcomb said.
Tina Gesford, another one of Wolfe’s neighbors, said he is friendly, a “sweet kid” and “hard worker.” She often sees him on his way to work, or coming and going clad in his West Virginia National Guard uniform.
The shooting, she said, came as a shock.
“It scares people,” Gesford said. “DC is crazy right now. So it’s scary thinking that one of our people are down there getting hurt.”
CNN’s Gabe Cohen and Nicky Robertson reported from Martinsburg, West Virginia; Nicquel Terry Ellis wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN’s David Brooks, Chris Boyette, Alejandra Jaramillo and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.
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