Sarah Beckstrom: Parents to attend State of the Union as Guard members are honored
The parents of Army Spc. sarah beckstrom will be special guests at President Trump’s State of the Union, a recognition tied to the Nov. 26 shooting that killed the 20-year-old National Guard member. The appearance and honors for the Guard members underscore ongoing legal and political developments tied to the attack.
Evalea and Gary Beckstrom invited to watch recognition in the Capitol
President Trump invited Evalea and Gary Beckstrom, the mother and father of Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, to attend his State of the Union address on Tuesday. The Beckstroms will sit among specially invited guests and Trump intends to acknowledge them during the portion of his speech focused on the southern border and homeland security.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was one of two West Virginia National Guard members who were shot not far from the White House on Nov. 26. The other Guard member, Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, underwent surgery after the shooting and is recovering.
Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe receive Purple Heart recognition
President Trump recognized Andrew Wolfe and the late Sarah Beckstrom during the address and awarded them a Purple Heart. Pentagon officials announced in early February that both would receive the award.
Wolfe, who attended the speech with his mother, sat across the aisle from the family of Sarah Beckstrom. The Purple Heart was presented as an honor given to those injured or killed in the line of duty.
Shooting near Farragut Square on Nov. 26 and suspect’s case
The two West Virginia Guard members were shot while part of the National Guard deployment in the nation’s capital; one account places the shooting near Farragut Square. The suspect, described as an Afghan national, 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, " and adding, "It happens too often with these people. "
Background on Sarah Beckstrom’s service and work
Before her deployment, Beckstrom worked for a behavioral health agency, supporting people at risk of psychiatric hospitalization. She 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 shooting.
Dalilah Coleman’s injuries and the California crash that left her critically hurt
Also invited as a guest was 7-year-old Dalilah Coleman, who was critically injured in a six-car pileup in California that White House was allegedly caused by a truck driver who was in the country illegally. When Dalilah 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, who is also a truck driver, and her mother Ileana Krause said.
The driver, Partap Singh, a man from India, was described as undocumented but was driving with a valid driver's license issued in California when the Department of Homeland Security said he 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 is nonverbal and has diplegic cerebral palsy, her family has said.
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Updated Feb. 24, 2026 at 5: 04 PM EST.
