West Virginia high school remembers slain National Guard member as caring and willing to help

Mourners gathered astatine a West Virginia precocious schoolhouse this play remembered a National Guard subordinate fatally changeable past week arsenic a caring and affirmative idiosyncratic who wanted to assistance others.

U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died aft a Wednesday shooting successful Washington, D.C., portion her earnestly injured colleague, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, remained successful captious condition. In caller days, section vigils successful West Virginia person honored the soldiers, including 1 Saturday evening astatine Webster County High School, wherever Beckstrom attended classes.

“Sarah was the benignant of pupil that teachers hoped for, she carried herself with quiescent strength, a contagious grin and a affirmative vigor that lifted radical astir her,” said Jarrod Hankins, the school's principal. “She was sweet, caring and ever consenting to assistance others."

Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24 were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard arsenic portion of President Donald Trump’s assertive crime-fighting program that federalized the D.C. constabulary force.

A 29-year-old Afghan nationalist faces 1 number of first-degree execution and 2 counts of battle with intent to termination portion equipped successful the shooting, which prompted the Trump medication to halt each asylum decisions and intermission issuing visas for radical traveling connected Afghan passports.

Funeral arrangements had not been finalized for Beckstrom, according to Cathy Pettry, the proprietor of Dodd & Reed Funeral Home successful Webster Springs. Pettry said Saturday that the location has been successful interaction with Beckstrom's household astir services.

The hometown crowd, seated successful bleachers and folding chairs, lit candles arsenic they heard from clergy and Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who said helium had visited Wolfe’s household earlier successful the day.

Wolfe, of Martinsburg, entered work successful February 2019. He had graduated from Musselman High School successful 2019, according to Berkeley County Schools.

He remained hospitalized and “fighting for his life,” Morrisey said the pursuing time during an interrogation with Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Sunday that she besides planned to conscionable with Wolfe’s family.

Morrisey called it a challenging clip for the state.

Calling Beckstrom a “favorite girl of Webster County,” helium said helium rapidly learned astir her estimation arsenic idiosyncratic with a large bosom who loved to service others. Beckstrom, of Summersville, graduated successful June 2023 and enlisted that month. She served with favoritism arsenic a subject constabulary officer, according to the West Virginia National Guard.

"She had a batch of kindness and she surely had courage," Morrisey told the assemblage during Saturday's vigil. “Though her beingness lasted acold excessively short, she has near a people that’s going to past forever."

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