Sarah Beckstrom: sarah beckstrom’s parents to attend State of the Union as Guard members are honored

The parents of sarah beckstrom will be among the special guests at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, a gesture that follows the fatal shooting of the 20-year-old National Guard member while patrolling Washington, D. C. The appearance coincides with recognition for other Guard members and a Purple Heart presentation during the speech.

Sarah Beckstrom’s parents, Evalea and Gary Beckstrom, to attend the speech

Evalea and Gary Beckstrom, the mother and father of Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, will sit among special guests at the U. S. Capitol for the State of the Union on Tuesday. President Trump intends to acknowledge those guests during the portion of his speech focused on the southern border and homeland security.

The invitation follows the November shooting that killed Beckstrom, who had volunteered to serve in the Trump administration's D. C. National Guard deployment and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade at the time of the attack.

Purple Heart given to Andrew Wolfe and recognition for Sarah Beckstrom

President Trump recognized Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and the late Sarah Beckstrom during the address and presented a Purple Heart to Wolfe. Pentagon officials announced in early February that both Guard members would receive the award.

Wolfe, 24, appeared at the State of the Union with his mother and sat across the aisle from the family of Sarah Beckstrom. The Purple Heart was presented for being injured or killed in the line of duty.

Shooting in late November near Farragut Square left one dead and one recovering

Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in an ambush-style attack while patrolling the streets of Washington, D. C., a day before Thanksgiving; the shooting also occurred not far from the White House on Nov. 26. The other Guard member shot in the incident, Andrew Wolfe, was injured, underwent surgery and is recovering.

The suspect in the case is an Afghan national who pleaded not guilty this month to multiple charges, including first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill in connection with the two Guard members who subdued him at the scene. President Trump commented on the shooter, saying, "He went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts. "

Dalilah Coleman, her injuries and the driver detained in August 2025

Also seated among the president’s guests will be 7-year-old Dalilah Coleman, who was critically injured in a six-car pileup in California allegedly caused by a truck driver who was in the country illegally. When Coleman was 5 years old, a commercial tractor-trailer crashed into the car she was riding in, fracturing her skull, breaking her femur and causing a traumatic brain injury, her father Marcus Coleman and her mother Ileana Krause said.

Authorities identified the driver as Partap Singh, a man from India who was undocumented but was driving with a valid California driver's license and, the Department of Homeland Security said, failed to stop for traffic and a construction zone. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials took Singh into custody in August 2025. Since emerging from a coma after the crash, Dalilah has been recovering but remains nonverbal and has diplegic cerebral palsy, her family has said.

Other national headlines referenced alongside the State of the Union recognitions

The broader set of items noted in the day's headlines included a range of economic, sports and policy developments: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warned about financial risks at the firm's annual investor day meeting, its biggest event with members of the analyst community. In sports, Moore was identified as a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and Jacob Bridgeman closed out a tournament after starting the day with a six-shot lead to become a winner on the PGA Tour.

Other items named were that, if released, Williams would become one of the most coveted free agents on the market for contenders seeking to upgrade their offensive line; Darryn Peterson, after several notable struggles, appeared totally fine on Monday night; and Skimo made its Olympic debut.

Two more sports headlines: Floyd Mayweather, 49, is stepping back into the ring to rematch Manny Pacquiao, and Jonathan Kuminga took over as Atlanta's top option following a first-quarter injury to Jalen Johnson and finished a blowout win with a game-high 27 points. On housing policy, a change noted for 2026 is that consumers may not need a minimum credit score for a mortgage as lenders look at nontraditional credit factors. And at the Winter Olympics, Day 8 saw Team USA bounce back and relocate the podium.

Background on Beckstrom’s service and prior work

Before deploying to Washington with the D. C. National Guard, Sarah Beckstrom worked for a behavioral health agency supporting people at risk of psychiatric hospitalization. She had volunteered for the deployment that placed her with the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade when she was shot in late November 2025 while serving as part of the National Guard deployment in the nation's capital.