Sgt. Andrew Wolfe is wrapped in a quilt by local Quilts of Valor representatives at a ceremony Saturday at the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office. (Photo by Toni Milbourne, Special to the News and Sentinel)

MARTINSBURG — Surrounded by family, fellow service members, law enforcement officers and community supporters, West Virginia Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was recognized Saturday with the inaugural Freedom 250: Hometown Hero Award from the U.S. Department of Justice before also being presented with a handmade Quilt of Valor in a ceremony marked by gratitude, faith and remembrance.

Hosted at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, the event celebrated Wolfe’s courage and recovery following the Nov. 26, 2025, ambush-style shooting in Washington, D.C., that left him seriously wounded and claimed the life of his partner, U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom.

Wolfe, a resident of the Northern District of West Virginia, continues his recovery in the Eastern Panhandle. Earlier this year, on Feb. 24, President Donald J. Trump awarded Wolfe the Purple Heart and posthumously presented Beckstrom with the Purple Heart for her sacrifice.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey presented Wolfe with the Department of Justice’s inaugural Freedom 250: Hometown Hero Award, created in recognition of America’s 250th birthday to honor extraordinary acts of service by law enforcement officers across the nation.

“As we honor Staff Sergeant Wolfe, we recognize his bravery, patriotism and sacrifice,” Harvey said. “There is no person more deserving to be celebrated during this 250th anniversary of our freedom as the United States of America.”

Jason and Melody Wolfe stood with their son, Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey as Harvey presented the sergeant with the inaugural Freedom 250: Hometown Hero Award from the U.S. Department of Justice. (Photo by Toni Milbourne, Special to the News and Sentinel)

Harvey said Wolfe’s actions embodied the values the award was created to recognize.

“Today we are honoring a man whose courage, resilience and devotion to service reflect the very best of our state and our nation,” Harvey said.

He reflected on the shooting that forever changed Wolfe’s life.

“His heroism was tested and in a moment his life and all of our lives was changed,” Harvey said. “While serving our nation in Washington, D.C., Sgt. Wolfe was shot in the line of duty by a coward — a moment that could have taken his life but never once took his resolve. His survival and recovery stand as powerful symbols of the resilience that defines both Andrew and the nation he serves.”

Harvey also praised the response from West Virginians following the shooting.

“Our community, friends, neighbors, co-workers and complete strangers rallied around Andrew and his loved ones with a strength only West Virginians can muster,” he said. “People checked in, people showed up and people prayed.”

Berkeley County Sheriff Rob Blair opened the ceremony by reflecting on Wolfe’s faith and service, pointing to scripture as a reminder of the calling accepted by members of the National Guard.

Referencing Isaiah 6:8, Blair quoted, “‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.'”

“That’s what all of our Guardsmen do,” Blair said.

Blair also emphasized the importance prayer played throughout Wolfe’s recovery.

“Remember that the only request the family had was prayer, and prayer is what brought us here today,” Blair said. “I truly believe that.”

Wolfe’s mother, Melody Wolfe, described the past seven months as a journey sustained by faith and the support of countless people.

“What I first called a nightmare has turned into more of a journey — a season,” she said. “There are good days, there are bad days. God has had him in His hands since the beginning of this,” she added as she took time to thank the first responders and medical personnel who cared for her son immediately following the shooting.

“They stepped in my place and in my husband’s place and gave him care I couldn’t do at that moment,” she said.

Melody Wolfe also praised members of the 167th Airlift Wing for supporting the family through what she called a logistical nightmare.

“This base that sits out from us just five minutes away that we have taken for granted for so long — there is so much that happens there,” she said. “Without their support our family maybe would have crumbled. At a time we needed to be held up, they held us up.”

She also recognized the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department, where Wolfe’s father, Jason Wolfe, serves as a deputy, recalling the prayer vigil held there shortly after the shooting.

“The prayer vigils and all of the ceremonies — they kept our family afloat,” she said. “It’s appropriate to return to this place today.”

Following the presentation of the Hometown Hero Award, Wolfe received a Quilt of Valor from Maribeth Shreve, who traveled from Charleston to make the presentation on behalf of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, along with local Quilts of Valor representatives.

The quilt was designed and sewn specifically for Wolfe by Kelly and Larry Hodges of Hurricane.

Shreve noted that the Quilts of Valor program began with its first presentation at Walter Reed in 2003 and has since awarded more than 447,000 handmade quilts to nominated veterans and service members across the country.

Family friends who have supported the Wolfes since the shooting also reflected on the journey.

Tabby Kief, a childhood friend of Melody Wolfe, said Saturday’s ceremony represented how far the family has come.

“Today brings it all together and you see all of the community support throughout the entire thing,” Kief said. “It brings almost like a final piece as we see Andy standing here, and that night we didn’t know how we were leaving that hospital. So, it’s very rewarding where we are seven months later.”

Kim Hogbin recalled the emotional first hours after learning Wolfe had been shot.

“We just prayed and cried,” she said.

Her husband, Dusty Hogbin, remembered the family’s immediate focus on prayer.

“The night it happened, Melody called us and told us, ‘You put it on Facebook. You say his name. You put it out there and have everyone start praying,'” he said. “Before the national media knew the name, she wanted us to put his name out there for prayer. That’s a testimony to her strong faith, and that’s what got us through from the beginning.”

Throughout Saturday’s ceremony, speakers repeatedly returned to the themes of faith, prayer and community, crediting the prayers of thousands of people across West Virginia with helping sustain Wolfe and his family through months of recovery. The event served not only as a recognition of Wolfe’s heroism and sacrifice, but also as a celebration of the community, the state and the nation that rallied around him in his greatest time of need.