At 20, Specialist Sarah Diane Beckstrom had already given two years and five months to service. On November 27, 2025, that service ended when she succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained while on patrol in Washington, D.C. Her death leaves behind more than a uniform, a rank, or a line in a record. It leaves the unbearable fact of a young life cut short while she was doing work meant to protect others. Beckstrom had been deployed to Washington, D.C., since August 2025. When Thanksgiving weekend came, she volunteered to remain. That choice now carries a painful weight: while many people were turning toward home and…

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