“My baby girl has passed to glory,” the grieving father of West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom wrote on Facebook, a raw and heartbreaking note that should shame every politician who treats our troops like political chess pieces. This was not a random tragedy but the loss of a young American who volunteered to serve during the holidays, and her family deserves more than platitudes — they deserve answers and action.
The ambush unfolded near Farragut Square, just blocks from the White House, where two West Virginia National Guard members were shot while on duty; one has now died and the other remains in critical condition after surgery. This was an attack on those who stood between chaos and the American people, carried out in broad daylight in the nation’s capital — a reality that should wake up every citizen to the stakes of our security failures.
Authorities say the suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome and had previously worked with a CIA-backed paramilitary unit in Afghanistan — details that raise obvious and urgent questions about vetting and resettlement. This is not the time for hand-wringing about process; it’s time for a serious, no-nonsense review of how we allowed someone with that background to be living, armed with motive, and able to strike in the heart of our capital.
President Trump and national security officials reacted immediately, promising a full federal investigation, additional troops in D.C., and a re-examination of immigration and parole reviews — the right priorities after an attack on federal service members. Americans who have watched open-borders policies and half-hearted vetting put our communities at risk should not be lectured about compassion; we should be demanding competence, closure for the families, and justice for the perpetrators.
Let’s be clear: honoring our defenders means more than candlelight tweets and political theater. It means securing our borders, tightening vetting for parole and asylum programs, and ensuring anyone admitted under sensitive programs is fully and transparently cleared — no secret backdoors, no political cover-ups, and no excuses. If this attack proves to be terrorism, prosecutors should pursue the full weight of the law without delay; the families of our fallen deserve nothing less than swift, uncompromising justice.
As we mourn Specialist Beckstrom and stand with the wounded, the lesson for every American should be simple: defend those who defend us, support law enforcement and the National Guard, and demand leaders who put safety before ideology. The grieving father’s words are a clarion call — we must channel that sorrow into policy that prevents another family from enduring this same nightmare.
