Gov. Patrick Morrisey has emphasized in recent days that West Virginia National Guard members on duty in Washington, D.C., including two who were tragically shot the day before Thanksgiving, have been there as volunteers.
West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died of her injuries from last week’s shooting. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, has remained in critical condition.
“She wore that uniform with pride, and this deserves to be said a few times — she volunteered for the mission. She volunteered for the mission. She was there because she wanted to be there. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” the governor said at a candlelight vigil for Beckstrom.
Governor Morrisey Speaks at Candlelight Vigil to Honor Sarah Beckstrom https://t.co/Je7t1sYHkC
— Governor Patrick Morrisey (@wvgovernor) November 29, 2025
Authorities have said the suspect in the shooting, an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, traveled thousands of miles across the country before coming around a corner at 17th and I Streets NW, raising his gun and firing at Guardsmen who were gathered at the location near a Metro public transportation stop.
The New York Times reported last week about concerns surrounding the mission in a story headlined, “Before the Shooting, Some Troops and Officials Worried About the Guard’s Safety.”
In an internal memo, the newspaper reported, Guard commanders warned that troops were in a “heightened threat environment.” Internal communications, the newspaper said, warned that “nefarious threat actors engaging in grievance based violence, and those inspired by foreign terrorist organizations” might view the mission “as a target of opportunity.”
On August 11, President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency” for the District of Columbia, and five days later Governor Morrisey deployed 300 to 400 members of the West Virginia National Guard for support.
The president’s emergency declaration, which placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal direction, expired after 30 days, Sept. 10, but the National Guard presence continued.
About 2,000 members of the National Guard, overall, have been deployed to Washington, D.C., to patrol on the National Mall, in Metro public transportation stations and across D.C. neighborhoods.
COMMENTARY by HOPPY KERCHEVAL: Governor Morrisey and the National Guard mission in D.C.
Last month, the West Virginia National Guard announced participation in patrols in Washington, D.C., would continue until the end of the year. However, the mission was being scaled back.
About 160 West Virginia National Guard volunteers were approved to remain in D.C. All personnel not continuing as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission returned to West Virginia.
Both Wolfe and Beckstrom had been on Task Force orders in the district since the beginning of the mission in August of this year, the National Guard said.
In response to media questions and, apparently, to public criticism, Morrisey has emphasized in several public forums the voluntary circumstances of the recent duty.
“President Trump’s mission to clean up the nation’s capital city was good— and it worked! I’m proud we played a major role in making that happen. But even more importantly, I’m proud that over 160 WV National Guardsmen VOLUNTEERED to remain on this mission when their time was up,” the governor wrote in a social media post.
“Everyone remaining is a Volunteer and a hero for stepping up!”
Responding to a question during a Fox News Sunday interview, Morrisey again emphasized the voluntary conditions of the recent weeks of the deployment.
“I want to emphasize again that the people that are there right now in Washington, D.C. — every single one of them is a volunteer,” Morrisey said in response to a question from host Peter Doocy, suggesting that any questioning of the basis of the mission equates to criticism of the Guard members themselves.
“So you’re going to criticize these people who are going in to try to provide safety in the nation’s capital? What kind of society have we come to where that’s a controversial topic?”
Morrisey added, “Once again when it came to the remainder of the year, I sent the word down — let’s make sure people want to volunteer to do this. There was no pressure put on them. These are people who stepped up who believed in the mission, who believed in our state. And so I don’t know how people can criticize that ever.”
Governor of West Virginia Patrick Morrisey says National Guard members that are in DC from West Virginia are volunteers, “So you’re going to criticize these people who are going in to try to provide safety in the nation’s capital?” @FoxNews @pdoocy pic.twitter.com/34phtoVlKG
— Sunday Briefing (@SundayBriefFNC) November 30, 2025
Morrisey repeated the voluntary aspect of the National Guard mission today during his first briefing with West Virginia reporters since the attack. In response to a question from Ogden Newspapers reporter Steven Allen Adams about who made the decision to ask for volunteers, the governor acknowledged that was him.
“As there were questions about how long we would stay, I made the decision to have the word come down if they would ask the people if they wanted to volunteer. There was never any pressure. This was done that if people wanted to stay and fulfill the mission they could,” Morrisey responded.
“I was pleased to report that between 160 and 170 people had asked to do that, and so that’s why I emphasize that: These were people that knew the mission, they agreed with the mission, I think the mission has been largely successful and they wanted to serve their state and they wanted to serve their country.”
Morrisey and Major General Jim Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard elaborated on how people expressed their intent to volunteer, responding to a MetroNews question.
Seward said it’s common to ask for volunteers for rotations for various National Guard responsibilities.
“After discussions with the governor and his decision to see who wanted to remain on mission, we had our commander in D.C. survey the troops,” Seward said. “I know they signed up, probably on a piece of paper, and we found out how many volunteers we had that were willing to stay.”
The governor and the adjutant general also fielded a question from MetroNews about what precautions or self-defense National Guard members were prepared to use as they were deployed to the city where crime emergency conditions were described as the basis from the outset.
“These are people that are trained, and they have knowledge of the situation they’re going into. These are the same people going to all corners of the globe. They’re trained in terms of difficult circumstances,” Morrisey said, concluding “We believe they have the background and training to go in to Washington, D.C., to carry out the mission.”
In an earlier part of the press conference, Seward described said Guard members “are trained professionals; they are deputized U.S. marshals in the district. When they’re on patrol they’re armed, and they are trained.”
The West Virginia Democratic Party, in a news release distributed following the governor’s press conference, called on the administration to provide better grounding for why the West Virginia National Guard is maintaining a presence in Washington, D.C.
The Democratic Party cited national reporting that Guard members have been assigned to landscaping, beautification, and trash-removal duties in the nation’s capital. The West Virginia National Guard specified in an August statement that “WVNG service members are not conducting beautification projects, such as litter collection and site restoration.”
“West Virginians deserve answers, which is why we are calling on Governor Morrisey to explain how these duties align with the crime fighting mission he and the Trump administration outlined to the public as the original rationale for deploying these troops to Washington, D.C.,” said West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Pushkin.
“Respectfully, West Virginians deserve to know whether this deployment was designed primarily for public safety or whether our Guard was assigned work far outside its traditional responsibilities while putting themselves in harm’s way.”