Flags Ordered To Half-Staff Nationwide Thursday To Honor Beckstrom

Flags have been ordered to be flown at half-staff nationwide to honor Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom who died in the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 26. 

President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff Thursday to honor Beckstrom. 

“As a mark of respect for the memory of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, West Virginia Army National Guard, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, Dec. 4, 2025,” Trump said.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey released a statement thanking the president. 

“Today, President Trump ordered that flags across the nation be flown at half-staff in recognition of SPC Sarah Beckstrom,” Morrisey said. “I want to thank him for this heartfelt gesture. It means a great deal to Sarah’s family, to the West Virginia National Guard community, and to so many across our state who are grieving her loss.”

Both Beckstrom and Wolfe were shot in an ambush attack blocks from the White House the day before Thanksgiving while on patrol in the nation’s capitol. An Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the war on terror is the alleged shooter. He has been charged with murder and attempted murder. 

Morrisey issued a similar order on Nov. 28 to honor both Beckstrom and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe. There was no end date on his order. 

Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries on Thanksgiving Day. Wolfe is still hospitalized, but reportedly his condition is improving. 

“As we remember Sarah, I ask that everyone continue to pray for Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe,” Morrisey said. “Andrew is still fighting with the strength and determination that define our West Virginia Guardsmen. His parents have shared only one request at every step: to keep the prayers coming.”