About 175 members of the West Virginia National Guard will remain in Washington, D.C., on a voluntary basis as the new year begins.
“With the continued consent of the Governor and in collaboration with the Department of War, the National Guard Bureau and the DC National Guard, the WV National Guard remains on duty in the District of Columbia,” according to a statement from the West Virginia National Guard’s public affairs office.
“Several Soldiers and Airmen recently took leave on a rotational basis or redeployed over the Christmas holiday.”
West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot Nov. 26 at the corner of 17th and I Streets NW. Beckstrom died on Thanksgiving Day, and Wolfe continues to recover from serious injuries.
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.
That developed as, on August 12, Leland Blanchard, interim commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, sent an email to James Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard.
“Was told by SECARMY’s office that your governor has been in contact with SECARMY and may be willing to support ongoing operations in DC,” Blanchard wrote in an email that later appeared among the filings in a federal court challenge to the deployment.
Blanchard went on to say work was still ongoing to determine tasks, “but wondering if you have some insights on number of personnel you might have to put against this mission once we get there.”
Seward responded to say, depending on orders and funding, that West Virginia could provide an estimated 500 to 600 Guard members. “Please let us know what we can do to help.”
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.
In November, state officials announced that the West Virginia National Guard would continue to participate in the presence in Washington, D.C., through at least Dec. 31.
Morrisey, in that announcement, described a re-evaluation of extending the mission every quarter through the end of fiscal 2026.
“I think it’s important to know that all the people that are there now are volunteering for it, and we had actually left it up to their discretion as to whether they wanted to remain on the mission in Washington, D.C., or to come home,” Morrisey said Dec. 18 on MetroNews Talkline.
In the latest update, the West Virginia National Guard’s public affairs office provided numbers for the mission through February.
“Approximately 175 volunteer WV National Guardsmen will remain on duty through the end of Feb 2026,” according to the update.
“The mission of the WV Guard members will remain the same: to contribute to the safety of the District by conducting static and roving presence patrols. They have not, nor will they be contributing to any type of beautification efforts.”