One of the two West Virginia National Guard soldiers wounded in Wednesday's ambush near the White House had volunteered for the duty.
Twenty-year-old Sarah Beckstrom offered to serve on that duty shift so other Guard members could be with their families for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, the two National Guard members wounded in the ambush, have each undergone surgery and remain in critical condition.
The pair had been sworn in less than a day before the attack and were standing post near the Farragut West Metro station when a gunman opened fire without warning, according to the New York Post.
The gunman has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakamal, 29, who investigators said waited for the two soldiers before launching the attack with a handgun.
Federal officials said Beckstrom was shot in the chest and head, and first responders rushed her to emergency surgery as relatives gathered at the hospital.
Community members described Wolfe as a well-liked young man and an active competitor in regional American Cornhole League events.
Messages of support flooded social media, and his former high school asked residents to keep him and his family in their thoughts.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said both soldiers had received the best available medical care and that their families were at their bedsides.
She told reporters the shooting was being investigated as a potential terrorist attack and vowed that if either soldier died, the case would become a murder prosecution.
Officials said other Guard members returned fire and struck the suspect, who was then subdued at the scene.
Federal records show Lakamal came to the United States after the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and had served in Kandahar alongside American forces.
Investigators said he applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved in April 2025 with no known criminal history.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the progress of the case would depend on the condition of Beckstrom and Wolfe, who remained in intensive care.
She added that families across the country were gathering for Thanksgiving while these two young soldiers were fighting for their lives.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday night described the shooting as a "heinous assault" and an act of evil, hatred, and terror.
"It was a crime against our entire nation," Trump said in a video address from West Palm Beach, Florida, where he is spending the Thanksgiving holiday.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.
Jim Mishler ✉
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