West Virginia community reacts to National Guard shooting : NPR
National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition after he and another member of the West Virginia National Guard were shot in Washington DC. Wolfe is originally from Martinsburg, West Virginia, and traveled there to see how the community is reacting to the news.
TO MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Both victims of the shooting grew up in West Virginia. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was from Webster County and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was from the Martinsburg area. NPR’s Dave Mistich traveled to Wolfe’s hometown to hear from the community.
DAVE MISTICH, BYLINE: Almost everywhere around Martinsburg, West Virginia, was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. But in the handful of bars and restaurants open last night, Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe were top of mind. Amy Fraley was behind the bar at the Big Apple Lounge.
AMY FRALEY: It’s tragic. They are young. It’s useless. It’s heartbreaking.
MISTICH: The Big Apple is less than a mile from Musselman High School in Inwood, where Wolfe attended.
FRALEY: I saw something online where the family said there was no GoFundMe set up…
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Yes. I saw that too.
FRALEY: …They’re just asking for love and prayers and support. And in this community, for that, they are well positioned for that.
MISTICH: Just a few miles away is the Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport, where Wolfe was stationed with the 167th Airlift Wing. Nicolas Diehl is the executive director of the airport. He told me he said a little prayer when the planes carrying guards took off.
NICOLAS DIEHL: You know, when I learned that some of our guards were going to be deployed, I said a prayer for them too.
MISTICH: Jason Barrett serves the Martinsburg area as a Republican in the West Virginia Senate. Like many others, he wondered what motivated the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting.
JASON BARRETT: It’s certainly something that puzzles me and, I think, a lot of people, why someone would just want to go out and, in this case, have a vicious, unprovoked attack on two people who are there simply and solely to protect others.
MISTICH: Barrett says a conversation is warranted about the continued deployment of the Guard in Washington, D.C., but he says the shooting also shows the need to ensure the security of the nation’s capital. For now, though, he says his goal, like others I’ve spoken with here, is to support the Wolfe and Beckstrom families.
Dave Mistich, NPR News, Martinsburg, West Virginia.
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