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Slain West Virginia National Guard member laid to rest

Flowers, challenge coins and other items lay near a photograph of U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom at a makeshift memorial outside of Farragut West Station, near the site where two National Guard members were shot, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

GRAFTON — The West Virginia Army National Guard member who was killed while on deployment in Washington, D.C., was laid to rest Tuesday.

U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, a military police officer with the 863rd Military Police Company, West Virginia Army National Guard, was laid to rest with full military honors during a ceremony and interment Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton.

Beckstrom, 20, died Nov. 27, after she was fatally wounded in the line of duty in a shooting attack the previous day near the Farragut Square Metro Station in Washington, D.C., where U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was also wounded.

“As you look across these hills and out onto the rows of headstones, each stone a brick to the foundation of freedom upon which we stand today, I encourage you to remember this,” said 111th Engineer Brigade Chaplain (Maj.) Christopher Bennett, as he presided over the ceremony. “No plots in the West Virginia National Cemeteries can be purchased. Each must be earned, and we know Spc. Sarah Backstrom has earned her place here among us today.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the state was proud to honor one of West Virginia’s finest.

“The ceremony was deeply moving and reflected the strength, grace, and love of a remarkable young woman and the family and friends who surrounded her,” Morrisey said.

“Their strength is West Virginia’s strength.”

Beckstrom served her state and nation with courage well beyond her years.

“Taken from us far too soon, she will always be remembered fondly by the West Virginia National Guard and by the people of our state,” he said. “(Tuesday’s) ceremony was a time to grieve, to stand with those who loved her, and to honor the life she lived.

“Denise and I will continue to hold her family, her fellow Guardsmen, and all who are mourning her in our prayers,” Morrisey said.

Beckstrom is survived by mother Evalea Beckstrom, father Gary Beckstrom, sisters Nicole and Christina and brothers Bryan and Wesley.

The service was attended by family members, friends, and dignitaries including Morrisey; U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice; U.S. Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore; U.S. Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, Chief of the National Guard Bureau; U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs, Director of the Army National Guard; and West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jim Seward and Senior Enlisted Leader Command Sgt. Maj. James Jones.

Tuesday night, a resolution honoring Beckstrom and Wolfe was introduced by Capito and Justice, both R-W.Va., and was unanimously passed in the Senate. The resolution formally recognized their service and sacrifice and expressed the United States Senate’s support for these two heroes and their families. The resolution also highlighted their paths to military service and how both service members have worked in and out of uniform to better their communities and their country.

“I am proud that our resolution honoring Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe passed in the Senate unanimously,” Capito said. “Sarah and Andrew represent the very best of West Virginia and this nation, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for standing with us as we recognize their service, strength, and sense of duty.”

Justice praised Capito for introducing the resolution honoring Beckstrom and Wolfe.

“Its unanimous passage affirms that they and their families are not alone — the U.S. Senate stands firmly with them,” he said. “I am grateful to our colleagues for coming together to recognize these heroes with the respect and gratitude they deserve.”

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