Indiana National Guard 1st Lt. Kathryn “Katy” Quarcelino, left, poses for a photo with U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve, R-Indiana, before the State of the Union on Tuesday. Quarcelino, who is based out of the National Guard armory in Franklin, was Shreve’s invited guest.
Submitted photo
By Noah Crenshaw
Daily Journal, Franklin
For The Republic
A soldier based out of the Indiana National Guard armory in Franklin got a front-row seat to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
1st Lt. Kathryn “Katy” Quarcelino attended Tuesday night’s address before a joint session of Congress in Washington. U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve, R-Indiana, invited her to the event.
“It was very humbling, [I’m] very honored,” Quarcelino told the Daily Journal on Wednesday. “Not everyone can say they’ve had this opportunity. So just being in the room, especially with my fellow military peers, it was amazing.”
Originally from southern Indiana, Quarclino is a vertical platoon leader for the 1313th Engineer Company based out of the National Guard armory in Franklin, working and managing construction-related work with other soldiers. The now-Illinois resident is currently serving as a platoon leader in Washington, D.C., supporting the “Keep D.C. Safe and Beautiful” mission.
The Indiana Army National Guard has 300 soldiers deployed to Washington in support of Trump’s “Keep D.C. Safe and Beautiful” mission, part of a broader federally-funded effort to assist local law enforcement with public safety and crime reduction in the nation’s capital.
Shreve explained why he invited Quarcelino as his guest in a news release issued before the address.
“Kathryn represents the very best of Indiana — service, discipline, and leadership. From enlisting as a combat engineer to leading soldiers here in our nation’s capital, she has stepped forward to serve at every level. Hoosiers can be proud of her commitment to our state and to our country,” Shreve said.
Quarclino’s journey to the State of the Union started when Shreve’s office reached out to Indiana National Guard leadership to invite someone who is deployed on the D.C mission to SOTU, said Lt. Col. Derek Sutton, Quarclino’s battalion commander.
“[Leadership] asked me, and Lt. Q is my best lieutenant that I have, and so I wanted to make sure that we present,” Sutton said.
Quarclino thought it was a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity, she said.
“I have to get on to this,” she recalled. “And of course I did, and I was very excited, very honored to attend that.”
Quarclino sat in the upper gallery of the House of Representatives chamber, behind where Trump stood to give his address, she said. She watched as Trump spoke about his first year back in office and set a record for the longest State of the Union address in history at one hour and 48 minutes.
She also saw Trump honor soldiers first-hand for their actions.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover and retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams was honored with the county’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. Slover, still on active duty, earned the medal for actions last month in Venezuela, while Williams — now 100 years old — received the medal for actions during the Korean War in 1952, according to a U.S. Army article.
Also during the address, Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Ruskan, a rescue swimmer, was awarded the Legion of Merit for his rescue efforts during a flood last year in central Texas. Ruskan is credited with saving more than 160 lives.
Quarclino also saw two fellow National Guardsmen be awarded Purple Hearts: Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Beckstrom and Wolfe were shot while on patrol in D.C. on Nov. 26, 2025, while deployed on the mission that Quarclino is serving on now.
“It was just awesome. I was taken back with it. I just felt appreciative that they honored our guys last night,” Quarclino said.
Along with meeting Shreve, Quarclino was also able to meet the four astronauts who will fly around the moon on the first U.S. human lunar spaceflight in more than 50 years— NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen. While Trump did not mention the Artemis 2 mission for which the astronauts were selected in his address, they were invited to the address.
Now deployed to D.C., Quarclino says she and her platoon have been able to adapt and overcome everything that has come their way.
“We’re doing great. We’re serving the people,” she said. “And as [the Joint Task Force] says, ‘We defend everyone or everybody. We’re here to serve the people.’”
In closing thoughts, Quarclino encourages people to take pride in whatever role they have, “always stay focused on growth,” and support those around them, she said.
”I’ve just had amazing opportunities here, and I couldn’t thank Mr. Shreve enough for inviting me,” Quarclino said. “It was very humbling and just breathtaking being in there.”
