The woman was a 35-year-old Capitol rioter who was shot and killed while leading the attack on January 6. Babbitt, a 14-year veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard, was fatally shot by Capitol Hill police. She attempted to crawl through an entrance to the House chamber, which had been barricaded.
Babbitt drove herself to Washington, D.C., where she participated in and then was killed for attending then-President Donald Trump’s “Save America” rally. In the end, she marched with the insurrectionist mob that attacked the Capitol, a move that would cost her life. Babbitt’s family had long operated a pool supply business in San Diego, California.
In a surprising about-face, the Air Force will now grant Babbitt burial with military honors. This ceremony will feature the playing of “taps” along with the presentation of an American flag to her family. This decision is a huge reversal from February 2021. At the time, the Air Force refused to confer any honors, believing that to do so would “bring discredit upon the Air Force” because of her death’s circumstances.
In an August 3 letter, Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier acknowledged this new decision. His open letter to Babbitt’s family was actually addressed to Babbitt’s family. In his letter, Lohmeier noted his request for Babbitt’s mother and husband to join him at the Pentagon.
Her family reached a settlement of nearly $5 million with the government in a wrongful death case. This compensation grows out of the tragedy that was her shooting. This less-than-clear financial recompense adds to the already confusing narrative about January 6th and what has happened to those who participated since.
Former President Donald Trump has said he supports Babbitt and other rioters. He describes them affectionately as “patriots,” “political prisoners” — all of the above. On his first day back in office, Trump granted pardons to approximately 1,500 defendants connected to the Capitol riot, including Babbitt. He has even gone so far as to characterize the prosecutions of these folks as “a serious national injustice.”
Debates over Babbitt’s legacy are already getting charged. The Air Force’s decision to award her military honors is a huge shift in how people are judging her actions that fateful day. We’ll be sending out details about the ceremony very soon, so stay tuned! This will allow her family the opportunity to remember their loved one and consider her sacrifice to our great nation.