2/25/2026 | USA | politics | ✓ Verified - washingtontimes.com

Trump awards Purple Hearts to National Guard members killed, injured in D.C. ambush

#Purple Heart #National Guard #Trump #State of the Union #D.C. ambush #Sarah Beckstrom #Andrew Wolfe #Rahmanullah Lakanwal

📌 Key Takeaways

President Trump awarded Purple Hearts to National Guard victims of a D.C. ambush during his State of the Union address
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was killed in the November 26 attack near the White House, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was injured
The attack occurred on Thanksgiving Day, and Beckstrom died the following day at age 20
Suspected shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal was charged with murder, with Trump calling him a 'terrorist monster from Afghanistan'

📖 Full Retelling

President Trump on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, during his State of the Union address, awarded the Purple Heart to National Guard members killed and injured in a November ambush attack in Washington D.C., presenting the medal to the family of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed, and to Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who survived the attack near the White House on Thanksgiving Day. The solemn ceremony took place as Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, with the president personally honoring Beckstrom's family and Wolfe, who was present in the House chamber for the speech. Beckstrom, 20 years old, died a day after the November 26 attack, which occurred just blocks from the White House. Trump expressed his condolences to the grieving family, telling them 'We love you all. Love you,' as Democrats who had been largely silent during much of his address gave both the wounded soldier and Beckstrom's family a standing ovation. The attack, which shocked the nation during the Thanksgiving holiday, involved suspected shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who federal prosecutors allege drove from his home in Washington state and 'purposely and with deliberate and premeditated malice' shot the members of the West Virginia National Guard. Trump described the suspect as 'a terrorist monster from Afghanistan,' adding 'Shouldn't have been in the country at all.' Lakanwal has since been charged with murder in connection with the attack that left one National Guard member dead and another wounded while they were performing security duties in the nation's capital.

🏷️ Themes

Military honors, National security, Terrorism response

📚 Related People & Topics

State of the Union

Annual report by the president of the United States

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National Guard

Index of articles associated with the same name

National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.

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Purple Heart

United States military decoration for injured or deceased service members

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2025 Washington, D.C., National Guard shooting

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Donald Trump

President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)

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Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for State of the Union:

👤 Donald Trump 37 shared

🌐 Immigration 5 shared

🌐 Democrat 5 shared

👤 Abigail Spanberger 5 shared

🌐 Immigration law 4 shared

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