Hegseth says 2 West Virginia Nationwide Guard members to obtain Purple Coronary heart

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Secretary of Warfare Pete Hegseth stated Friday that two West Virginia Nationwide Guard members — Military Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Power Employees Sgt. Andrew Wolfe — who have been shot in an ambush-style assault close to the White Home late final yr, will obtain the Purple Heart .

Calling the Nov. 26 incident "a horrible factor" and saying the troops have been " attacked by a radical ," Hegseth made the announcement whereas talking at a Nationwide Guard reenlistment ceremony on the Washington Monument, the place he administered the oath of enlistment to greater than 100 Guardsmen from 9 states serving in Washington, D.C.

"And we had a horrible factor occur plenty of months in the past," Hegseth stated. "Andrew Wolfe, Sarah Beckstrom, one misplaced, one recovered, thank God, in miraculous methods. Each quickly to be Purple Coronary heart recipients as a result of they have been attacked by a radical."

The remarks mark the primary public affirmation from Hegseth that the service members will obtain the Purple Coronary heart, one of many nation’s oldest navy decorations, awarded to these killed or wounded by enemy motion.

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Secretary of Warfare Pete Hegseth hosts a reenlistment ceremony for Nationwide Guard members on the Washington Monument, Friday, in Washington, D.C. (DoW Photograph/U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)

The Purple Heart traces its origins to the American Revolution, when George Washington established the Badge of Navy Advantage in 1782, to acknowledge enlisted troopers wounded or killed in service. The trendy Purple Coronary heart was revived in 1932, and is awarded within the identify of the president to U.S. service members wounded or killed by enemy motion.

Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, have been shot simply blocks from the White Home in what officers described as an ambush-style assault.

Beckstrom died a day after the taking pictures. Wolfe was significantly wounded and continues to get well.

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<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/672/378/national-guard-shooting-victim-sarah-beckstrom-fox-news-01.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/1344/756/national-guard-shooting-victim-sarah-beckstrom-fox-news-01.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/931/523/national-guard-shooting-victim-sarah-beckstrom-fox-news-01.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/1862/1046/national-guard-shooting-victim-sarah-beckstrom-fox-news-01.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Nationwide Guard Military Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was killed in a taking pictures incident, Nov. 26, in Washington D.C. (Division of Justice)

The accused gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, faces nine charges associated to the taking pictures, together with first-degree homicide whereas armed and assault with intent to kill whereas armed. He has pleaded not responsible.

In a press release posted on X, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey thanked Hegseth for the announcement and stated the popularity was lengthy overdue.

"I thank Secretary @PeteHegseth for asserting that U.S. Military Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Air Power Employees Sergeant Andrew Wolfe will quickly obtain the Purple Coronary heart, an honor that displays their braveness and sacrifice in protection of our nation," Morrisey wrote.

Morrisey stated he formally requested the Purple Coronary heart awards Dec. 19, including that the announcement "brings long-overdue honor to their service, presents which means and reassurance to their households, and stands as a solemn reminder that West Virginia will always remember those that sacrifice in protection of others."

Hegseth’s remarks Friday got here throughout a ceremony honoring the Nationwide Guard’s ongoing safety mission within the nation’s capital .

In accordance with a Warfare Division news release , greater than 100 Guardsmen from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia reenlisted Friday as a part of the mission.

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<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/672/378/national-guard-shooting-victim-andrew-wolfe-fox-news-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/1344/756/national-guard-shooting-victim-andrew-wolfe-fox-news-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/931/523/national-guard-shooting-victim-andrew-wolfe-fox-news-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/11/1862/1046/national-guard-shooting-victim-andrew-wolfe-fox-news-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Nationwide Guard Air Power Employees Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was wounded in a taking pictures incident, Nov. 26, in Washington D.C. (Division of Justice)

These troops are amongst greater than 2,600 Nationwide Guard members presently deployed in Washington on the path of President Donald Trump in assist of the D.C. Secure and Stunning Process Power, which was established in August 2025 after the president declared a criminal offense emergency within the metropolis.