US Air Force to Provide Full Military Honors for Ashli Babbitt, Slain Pro-Trump Rioter and Veteran
The United States Air Force has announced that it will provide full military funeral honors for Ashli Babbitt, a former airforce veteran who was fatally shot during the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riots. The decision comes after an initial denial of military honors, which was subsequently overturned following a review of the circumstances surrounding her death.
In a letter dated August 15th and shared on social media, Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier informed Babbitt’s family that the initial decision to deny military honors was incorrect. Lohmeier extended an invitation to the family to meet at the Pentagon to offer his condolences personally.
A spokesperson from the Department of the Air Force confirmed the authenticity of the letter, stating that after a review of Babbitt’s death, the Air Force would now offer Military Funeral Honors to her family. While specific details regarding the funeral arrangements are yet to be disclosed, military honors typically include a uniformed detail at the service, the playing of Taps, and the folding and presentation of a U.S. flag.
Previously, under the Biden administration, these honors had been denied. Babbitt was shot by a Capitol Police officer while attempting to breach a sensitive area within the Capitol leading to the Speaker’s Lobby, where members of Congress were evacuating. The officer involved in the shooting was later cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
In May, the Trump administration reached a settlement agreement with Babbitt’s family, paying them nearly $5 million in a wrongful death suit. Babbitt served in the active duty Air Force from 2004 to 2008 and later in the Air Force Reserves from 2008 to 2010 and the Air National Guard from 2010 to 2016. She deployed to Afghanistan in 2005, Iraq in 2006, and the United Arab Emirates in 2012 and 2014. Babbitt was a member of the 113th Security Forces Squadron, 113th Wing, DC Air National Guard, which is responsible for defending the National Capitol Region and is nicknamed the “Capital Guardians.”