A West Virginia National Guard member died yesterday after being shot in Washington, DC. Her tragic death lies with President Donald Trump and Governor Patrick Morrisey (WV-R): Trump for his illegal use of National Guard troops in DC and Morrisey for his eagerness to please.
U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, should have been home with her family for Thanksgiving. Instead, she was in DC on a non-military mission that U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled last week that the August National Guard deployment was “unlawful.” Hers was a preventable death, a tragedy.
From DC Attorney General Schwalb:
“From the beginning, we made clear that the U.S. military should not be policing American citizens on American soil. Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the President can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants – with no check on his military power. This unprecedented federal overreach is not normal, or legal. It is long past time to let the National Guard go home – to their everyday lives, their regular jobs, their families, and their children.”
On Monday, former military officials released a report, The Perils of Politicizing the US Military, highlighting the risks of politicizing our armed forces:
“The use of troops, bases, and ceremonies in partisan settings has blurred the line between military service and political messaging, eroding morale and public trust in the military’s apolitical character.”
In August, Trump demanded that National Guard troops “restore cleanliness and safety” to Washington, DC, despite evidence that crime was declining. Moreover, National Guard troops “are untrained in law enforcement.”
Writing in The Atlantic, Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the homeland-security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, notes Guardsmen are, instead, used as trash collectors:
Guard members are vulnerable because politics is not a military mission…Even if the deployments to D.C. were legal, they lack a clear mandate and metrics of success, and have vague rules of engagement and ill-defined operating procedures. And morale is low among part-time volunteer soldiers, who have had to leave home to patrol the streets of an American city that Trump doesn’t like…
The National Guard has been sending out news releases describing its progress, with updates such as: “cleared 906 bags of trash, spread 744 cubic yards of mulch, removed five truckloads of plant waste, cleared 3.2 miles of roadway and painted 270 feet of fencing.”
Now DC police are patrolling with the National Guard.
National Guard troops don't sign up to be used as political pawns. They sign up to serve their country, not needlessly deploy to American cities to pick up garbage. These two soldiers should be alive right now and at home with their families for Thanksgiving. I'm furious.
— Charlotte Clymer (@charlotteclymer.bsky.social) November 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM
The shooter received asylum in April, under this administration.
Trump refuses to directly admit his administration granted the DC shooter asylum and then wraps up the press availability
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) November 27, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Trump’s response has been racist rants on Truth Social and sweeping checks of immigrants requesting asylum or with valid documentation.
Furthermore, National Guard deployments in Portland and Chicago have also been rejected by the courts. And also last week, “Tennessee state judge issued a temporary block on the mobilization of Guard forces in Memphis.”
RIP, Sarah Beckstrom. May your death serve as a catalyst for law, not continued lawlessness.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com