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11h ago

Trump Presents Purple Hearts to D.C. Ambush Victims During State of the Union

The high-profile tribute highlights an ongoing case against an Afghan national charged in the November ambush.

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West Virginia National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe receive the Purple Heart as his mother, Melody, watches during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Evalea and Gary Beckstrom, the mother and father of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, receive a Purple Heart on behalf of their daughter during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, as West Virginia National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe watches at left. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Overview

  • Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe received the medal in the House gallery, pinned by Maj. Gen. James D. Seward, as Sarah Beckstrom’s parents accepted her posthumous award.
  • Lawmakers from both parties stood and applauded during the recognition of Wolfe and Beckstrom’s family.
  • The pair were ambushed on Nov. 26, 2025, near 17th and I Streets NW while on patrol, with Beckstrom dying the next day and Wolfe surviving after surgery and rehabilitation.
  • Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, remains in custody after pleading not guilty to federal and local charges, with prosecutors saying he drove from Washington state to carry out the attack.
  • Officials say Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome as Trump said during the address that the gunman should not have been in the country.