U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who was fatally shot while on duty in Washington, D.C., was laid to rest with full military honors during a ceremony and interment Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton.
“As you look across these hills and out onto the rows of headstones, each stone a brick to the foundation of freedom upon which we stand today, I encourage you to remember this,” said 111th Engineer Brigade Chaplain (Maj.) Christopher Bennett, as he presided over the ceremony.
“No plots in the West Virginia National Cemeteries can be purchased. Each must be earned, and we know Spc. Sarah Backstrom has earned her place here among us today.”
Beckstrom, 20, was a military police officer with the 863rd Military Police Company, West Virginia Army National Guard. She died on Thanksgiving after a shooting attack the previous day near a Metro public transportation station in Washington, D.C.
The suspect in the shooting has been charged with murder.
Another member of the West Virginia National Guard who was shot that day, Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, has continued with medical treatment and has shown signs of improvement.
Beckstrom is survived by mother Evalea Beckstrom, father Gary Beckstrom, sisters Nicole and Christina and brothers Bryan and Wesley.
The service was attended by family members, friends, and dignitaries including Gov. Patrick Morrisey; U.S. senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice; U.S. representatives Carol Miller and Riley Moore; U.S. Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau; U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard; and West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jim Seward and Senior Enlisted Leader Command Sgt. Maj. James Jones.
“We are proud to honor one of West Virginia’s finest. The ceremony was deeply moving and reflected the strength, grace, and love of a remarkable young woman and the family and friends who surrounded her. Their strength is West Virginia’s strength,” Morrisey said.
Beckstrom was a 2023 graduate with honors of Webster County High School. She enlisted in the West Virginia Army National Guard not long after graduating and completed basic and advanced training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, that summer.
MORE: Community says helping others at the heart of the tragically shortened life of Spc. Sarah Beckstrom
In August, she and other members of the West Virginia National Guard, including members of her unit, were mobilized for service in Washington as part of Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful, which included more than 2,000 Guard members from six states.
She was an observant people-watcher who loved exploring and spent her off-duty hours in the District taking in museums and overall city life, her family told the National Guard.
Beckstrom was enrolled at Glenville State University and intended to pursue studies related to mental health.
Her military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, West Virginia Legion of Merit, the D.C. Distinguished Service Medal, and the D.C. Humanitarian Service Medal.
“There are many understandable responses to Sarah’s tragic murder,” Bennett said.
“Anger, grief and confusion are natural and understandable, and God is big enough to handle all of those emotions and more. We can take comfort in knowing that God is just and that in the end, justice will be served.”
