Woman Killed in Congress Served in Air Force, Fought 2 Wars- Report

Taarek Refaat

Ashley Babbitt, 35, who was shot in the neck during the chaos inside the Capitol on January 6, served in the U.S. Air Force and fought in wars, along the army.

Babbitt served the Air Force for 14 years and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following her service, life was not easy. She worked in the security of a nuclear power plant, where she was struggling to keep things running.

After the army, she settled with her husband Aaron in San Diego, California, and turned to express her political views. Her social media was filled with messages celebrating President Trump; QAnon conspiracy theories, threats against immigration, drugs, and democratic leaders.

Babbitt tweeted the day before her death: "Nothing will stop us ... they can try and try, but the storm is here as it descends on the capital in less than 24 hours ... from dark to light."

https://twitter.com/Ashli_Babbitt/status/1345107443181785088?s=20

Babbitt, who used the CommonAshSense account on Twitter, also tweeted - a few hours before she and other Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol - "It should be in place before Congress meeting today."

While on duty from 2004-2008, She worked as an observer for the security forces, a job whose duties included guarding gates at air force bases, and was deployed in both Afghanistan and Iraq. She was deployed twice in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2012 and 2014, according to an Air Force spokesperson.

She then served in the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. She was assigned to a unit based near Washington known as the "Guardians of the Capital". One of their primary missions is to defend the city, using riot shields and batons for what the Air Force calls "civil disturbance missions".

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https://twitter.com/Ashli_Babbitt/status/1067115172458725377?s=20

An eyewitness to the shooting of Babbitt said in a TV report that "a number of police and intelligence agents were saying, 'Get down, come back, go out of the way.' She didn't respond to the call." At that point, the witness said, "They shot her in the neck."

Two men raised her to the edge of the Capitol's building broken window, and as she put her head through the frame, a civilian-dressed police officer fired a bullet, and the victim fell back into the crowd. Blood began to flow from her mouth. Medical assistance was provided immediately, and the female was taken to hospital, where she later died of her wounds.