Trump orders flags at half-staff for slain National Guard member

President Donald Trump has ordered all U.S. and federal facilities to fly the American flag at half-staff today in honor of Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom of the West Virginia Army National Guard, who was killed in the line of duty.

Beckstrom, 20, was shot and killed in a Nov. 26 ambush attack near the White House in  Washington, D.C., while deployed on duty with the West Virginia Army National Guard. She succumbed to her injuries Nov. 27. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia stated Dec. 2 that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who lived in Bellingham, Washington, has been charged with first-degree murder while armed for Beckstrom’s death. 

The White House released the full presidential proclamation, directing federal buildings, military installations, naval vessels, and U.S. diplomatic facilities worldwide to lower their flags immediately through sunset on Dec. 4.

The lowering of the American flag to half-staff is a well-established tradition signaling national grief. Under the federal Flag Code, such honors are typically reserved for high-ranking officials or for national tragedies, but the President retains discretion to extend the gesture in other solemn circumstances.