Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with National Guard troops today at the D.C. Armory to both express gratitude for the work they have done to curb violent crimes in the nation's capital and to acknowledge the tragic loss of one of their own following a shooting in the city Nov. 26.
Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of Summersville, West Virginia, died yesterday after being shot the day before while on duty near Farragut Square, a small park, in Washington.
She served as a military police soldier with the 863rd Military Police Company. Also wounded in the shooting was Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, of Martinsburg, West Virginia. He is currently hospitalized.
"Obviously, our hearts are heavy right now for the loss of Spc. Sarah Beckstrom," Hegseth said. "Some of you may have known her, obviously a beautiful human being and a great American willing to serve her country. [She was] brutally targeted, ambushed, on the street. [There are] no words for the sadness we have for her family. We pray for them. We also pray for Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe with the Air National Guard, [in a] fight for his life right now."
The secretary led troops in a prayer for Beckstrom's family, Wolfe's recovery and for the safety of American service members who are now spread across the nation's capital and the world.
The secretary also met privately with the two individuals who helped subdue Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was subsequently arrested as the suspect in the shooting.
More than 2,200 National Guard personnel are assigned to the Joint Task Force District of Columbia. About 925 of those are from the D.C. National Guard, with more than 1,300 coming from Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina.
Hegseth told the troops gathered that he, leaders at the Pentagon, and President Donald J. Trump are grateful for what they are doing in Washington and are impressed with what they have achieved so far.
"We are nothing but grateful for everything that you do every single day and every single night, and for every single risk that you're willing to take, and the vigilance that you maintain on our behalf," Hegseth said. "President Trump believes that we should have a safe, secure and beautiful capital of the United States of America ... and you have [delivered] just that."
At the Pentagon, the secretary said that War Department leaders are paying attention to what the National Guard is doing in Washington, are passing that information to the White House, and that everybody in the chain of command is impressed.
"You have delivered historic safety, security and beauty to this capital," he said. "And not just for the residents that live here, that deserve a better life, that deserve to live safe; but also for all the Americans who visit this great capital, visitors who come and want to see the monuments, and want to see the beauty, and want to see the history."
Where those residents and visitors might have in the past seen danger, violence and crime, Hegseth said, that has now changed.
"You've delivered safety, and you've done it selflessly, and you've done it courageously," he said.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also addressed the troops, relaying to them the gratitude of the president and the nation.
"On behalf of President Trump, on behalf of the White House, on behalf of the United States government, I want to express to each and every one of you, our unyielding loyalty, devotion, gratitude, admiration; our eternal brotherhood with you, and your service, your contribution, your sacrifice," Miller said.
"Please know that not only is the city of Washington, D.C., grateful, not only is this administration grateful, but tens of millions of Americans all across this nation look up to you with gratitude, affection, loyalty, friendship and pride ... thank you for your service. You have my unwavering commitment and dedication, as you do from [the secretary] and every member of this administration," he added.
On Nov. 26, Hegseth was traveling in the Dominican Republic to meet with senior leaders there to discuss continued cooperation in countering narco-terrorists. Shortly after the shooting in Washington, the secretary announced his intent to increase troop presence in the nation's capital.
"President Trump has asked me, and I will ask the secretary of the Army to [tell] the National Guard to add 500 additional troops — National Guardsmen — to Washington, D.C.," he said, speaking to members of the press during his visit to the Dominican Republic's National Palace in Santo Domingo.
After addressing the guardsmen, the secretary and his wife, Jennifer, along with Miller and his wife, Katie, and other department and administration senior leaders, served a Thanksgiving dinner to uniformed personnel. The Hegseths also sat down for dinner with service members.