These National Guard members were tasked with protecting the nation’s capital. Now they are fighting for their lives
By Gabe Cohen, Nicky Robertson, Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN
Martinsburg, West Virginia (CNN) — US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and US Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were called to the nation’s capital in August as National Guard troops from multiple states responded to President Donald Trump’s surge of federal law enforcement in the area.
But on the eve of Thanksgiving, the two West Virginia National Guard members were injured in an “ambush style” shooting just blocks away from the White House.
After undergoing surgery, both Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, remain in critical condition Thursday, with federal and local authorities, their West Virginia neighbors and their loved ones calling for prayers.
“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.
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 is 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, according to The New York Times.
“I’m holding her hand right now,” Gary Beckstrom told the Times by phone. “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”
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 and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
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