MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — West Virginia Air Guard Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was awarded the inaugural Freedom 250: Hometown Hero Award Saturday by U.S. Attorney Matt Harvey.
The ceremony was held Saturday at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office in Martinsburg.
Harvey recalled the events of last Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving.
“West Virginia Air National Guard Staff Sergeant Wolfe, and his partner U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, were bravely policing the nation’s capital when an Afghan national committed an ambush-style shooting of both West Virginia Guardsmen,” Harvey said. “Staff Sergeant Wolfe is a resident of the Northern District of West Virginia during the time of the shooting. Staff Sergeant Wolfe survived his injuries and continues to recover in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. SPC Beckstrom sadly succumbed to her injuries she sustained while on duty.”
Harvey said Wolfe has always served with humility, strength, and an unwavering sense of duty.
“Andrew believes in a mission greater than himself. As such, he answered a call to protect the streets of our nation’s capitol. His heroism was tested in a moment that changed his life, and all of our lives forever,” Harvey said. “His survival and recovery stand as powerful symbols of the resilience that defines both Andrew and the nation he serves.”
Harvey likened Wolfe’s strength to the values that crafted the nation as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of its founding.
“A milestone born of generations of hardship, healing, and determination. We see a reflection of that same spirit in Andy Wolfe,” Harvey said. “Just as our country has faced trials, endured pain, and has risen stronger, so too has Andrew. His road to recovery mirrors the endurance and hope that carried America forward for two and a half centuries.
“In the days and weeks that followed, something remarkable happened here at home. As alluded to, our community, coworkers, and complete strangers rallied around Andrew and his loved ones with the strength that only West Virginians can muster. People checked in. People showed up. And people prayed.
“And people stood together, refusing to let fear or violence define this moment,” Harvey said.
Following the ceremony, Harvey was asked by MetroNews what the day meant.
“It means a lot of things, and it means a lot of things to a lot of people. As a community, we’ve wrapped our arms around Andy and his family. And I think today what it means is that evil will always be beaten by good. And for a family that is strong in their faith, and a community that’s strong in their faith miracles do happen.
“Personally, hearing from Melody, seeing Andy here, doing so well, speaking, walking, it’s like a sigh of relief. Like, we’ve just been waiting and waiting, and it’s like, I think this nightmare is starting to subside a little bit. And I’m really hopeful that this ceremony will bring some of those similar feelings to our fellow community members,” Harvey said.
State coordinator for West Virginia for Quilts of Valor Maribeth Shreve made the trip from Charleston to present the quilt. She said in her remarks that after the shooting, she got emails from all over the country offering to honor SSgt. Wolfe.
The quilt chosen was made by Larry and Kelly Hodges of Hurricane, West Virginia.
As part of the ceremony, SSgt. Wolfe was wrapped up in the quilt, symbolic of his being wrapped up in the prayers and support of those who made the quilts and everyone affiliated with Quilts of Valor.
“We go all over the state and do this, but this one hit home because I’ve had so many people trying to get him awarded from day one, and we couldn’t do that until I could talk to him,” Shreve told MetroNews.
Wolfe’s parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe reflected on the Hometown Hero Award.
“It was amazing. Absolutely beautiful to see so many come together and the special award,” Melody Wolfe said. “And to come circle back where the prayer vigil was held here, over seven months ago, and now we’re here celebrating. So that in itself is a testimony to God’s faith.”
That prayer vigil in December brought together hundreds of members of the area first responder community to offer prayers and support to the family. Jason Wolfe, a sergeant himself with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, spoke at the vigil at the time, tearfully telling his colleagues at the time, “We’re devastated,” he said. “It’s great to see the overwhelming support of our family and our son.”
Harvey assured the family Saturday his office and the administration are standing behind them. Asked if he felt that to be true, Jason Wolfe said, “From day one, not just them, but I feel like the whole United States is with us, the overwhelming support we’ve received. It’s just a blessing.”
Among those in attendance at Saturday’s presentation were all three prosecuting attorneys from Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties, numerous law enforcement personnel, and both Chaplain Kyle Hamlin and new Wing Commander for the 167th Airlift Wing Colonel Randall Wright.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be here. I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer and faith,” Wright said.
He said he was at the hospital a few days following the shooting. “It’s absolutely amazing to be here seven or eight months later and see the progress along the way. Those prayers and faith, I believe, help all of us.”
Also in attendance were grandparents, family friends, and neighbors. Wolfe’s grandfather is a Vietnam veteran.
Longtime friend of Melody Wolfe Tabby Kief was with the family during some of the hardest days.
“A day like today kind of pulls it all together and you see all the community support throughout the entire process. The first night at the hospital, it was the guardsmen, sheriff, deputy, local and from afar. You see Andy standing there and that night we didn’t know how we were leaving that hospital.
“It’s very rewarding, just at the point we’re now where we are seven months later,” Kief said.
Kim and Dusty Hogbin said they’ve known the family “forever.”
“Our kids grew up together. We’ve watched him play, he played little league football with our kids and it’s just, it’s amazing. It hits home. It really hit home,” said Kim Hogbin “But it makes you appreciate things more. And you know, he is a true miracle and he is definitely our hero.”
They recalled the night before Thanksgiving when the news broke that two Guard members from West Virginia had been shot.
“I always do my family Thanksgiving on Wednesday so that my kids can go where they need to go on Thursday. And it came across the news. Dusty came in and he was like, I’m telling you, something’s up,” Kim Hogbin said. “Our kids are all the same age. They all grew up together. We just immediately said a prayer because we didn’t know who it was. And then we got the phone call that they were headed down and Jason said he was shot in the head. And we just, my daughters, all of us, we just prayed and cried. And we’ve just been there from day one.”
Dusty Hogbin remembered Melody’s faith.
“The night it happened, after Melody had called back and told us that the first word she said to me was, put it on Facebook, you say his name, you put it out there that you want prayers. ‘Say his name, have everybody start praying,” he said. “That is a testimony to Melody, it was her strong faith from the beginning that got us through – the community, the nation, everybody through.”
“I’ve been able to be a part of quite a few things with Jason and Andy,” Dustin Hogbin said, including a first pitch at Meritus Park ahead of a Hagerstown Flying Boxcars game. “I’m just in total awe. I coached his kid at nine years old, you know, and I’m sitting back and now he’s my hero. You know what I mean? It means the world to me.”
President Donald Trump awarded Wolfe the Purple Heart and posthumously awarded Beckstrom the Purple Heart at a February ceremony.
“As we honor Staff Sergeant Wolfe, we recognize his bravery, patriotism, and sacrifice,” Harvey said. “There is no person more deserving to be celebrated during this 250th anniversary of our freedom as the United States of America.”
The Freedom 250: Hometown Hero Award was created in honor of the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The Department of Justice is proud to honor law enforcement across the country with recognition of the extraordinary service to their fellow citizens.