November 30, 2025
Fallen Guardsman’s Lasting Light:
Sarah Beckstrom Honored at Memorial as Ex-Boyfriend Shares Heartfelt Memories The winter wind whispered through the bare branches of the New River Gorge on the afternoon of December 1, 2025, carrying the faint scent of pine and river mist to the Webster Springs High School gymnasium, where 1,200 mourners gathered in a sea of camouflage and American flags for the memorial service of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. At 20, the West Virginia National Guard soldier lay in repose in a flag-draped casket, her dress blues crisp and adorned with her unit patch, a bouquet of wildflowers from her platoon resting atop












