Troops line streets of DC during honor escort for slain National Guard soldier

Service members gathered Thursday night on the streets of Washington, D.C., to pay their respects to Spc. Sarah Beckstrom of the West Virginia National Guard, who was killed while serving her country.

Members of local law enforcement participated in the honor escort.

Beckstrom was shot Wednesday by an Afghan national near the White House. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that she had died. A second member of the West Virginia Guard, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, also was shot and is critical condition.

Trump called Beckstrom an “incredible person, outstanding in every single way.”

Beckstrom was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard.

Beckstrom, of Summersville, W.Va., had volunteered “to ensure the safety and security of our nation’s capital,” the Guard said in a statement. She graduated from Webster County High School in June 2023 and enlisted that month, serving “with distinction” as a military police officer, the Guard said. “She exemplified leadership, dedication and professionalism.”

“Sarah, a member of the Class of 2023, has always demonstrated the strength, character, and commitment that make our school and community proud,” Webster County High School said in a Facebook post. “Her decision to serve her country reflects the very best of what we hope to instill in our Highlander students.”

After high school, Beckstrom ended up in Summersville, where she was a community engagement specialist with a clinic that provides services for teens and young adults with mental illnesses, substance abuse problems or developmental disabilities, Summersville Mayor Robert Shafter said in a statement on Facebook.

Her former boyfriend, Adam Carr, told The New York Times she wasn’t initially excited about her deployment to Washington but grew to enjoy helping people and getting the chance to see memorials and museums.

On Friday, the military said no final decisions have been made on what honors Beckstrom would receive, according to The Washington Post. Those honors could potentially include a posthumous promotion in rank, medals such as the Purple Heart or other military commendation, and military burial. The Joint Task Force-D.C. “will fully support and honor the family’s wishes and ensure all appropriate military traditions are upheld,” it said in a statement to The Post.

Meanwhile, Berkeley County Sheriff Rob Blair said in a social media post that Sgt. Jason Wolfe and his wife, Melody, wanted the public to know how much they appreciate their prayers for their son, Andy, and asked people to continue to pray for them.

Hundreds of National Guard members from the district and several states have been patrolling the nation’s capital after Trump issued an emergency order, federalizing the local police force and sending in the Guard from eight states and the District of Columbia.

Contributing: The Associated Press.