WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Pentagon is holding a medal ceremony honoring two National Guardsmen for their acts of bravery following a shooting near the White House last year.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, joined by West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, will present the Airman’s Medal and Soldier’s Medal to service members involved in the incident. The awards recognize non-combat heroism.
The ceremony honors West Virginia National Guard members, 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, and 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who were shot while on patrol in Washington on November 26, 2025. Beckstrom died from her injuries the following day.
Both soldiers were serving in D.C. under President Trump’s executive order aimed at boosting security in Washington, D.C.
“They were uniformed members of the West Virginia National Guard, and they were in D.C. to keep D.C. safe,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. “They answered the call, they volunteered, they put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know — and that is becoming a reality more and more for members of law enforcement.”
The Joint Task Force for that mission said the pair were deputized again on November 25, the day before the shooting, so they could continue to conduct patrols. Deputation allows the more than 2,000 Guard Members in the District to perform a range of law enforcement duties, short of arrests.
The ceremony is taking place in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes, a space dedicated to honoring members of the U.S. military who have received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor.
The Hall of Heroes opened in 1968 and displays the names of every Medal of Honor recipient since the Civil War, according to the Pentagon’s website.
More than 3,500 names are listed, including one woman — Dr. Mary E. Walker, who was awarded the medal for her service as a surgeon during the Civil War.
Beckstrom will be just the second woman to receive a medal for her service.