National Guardsman Healing Following Sustaining Gunshot Wounds in the Nation's Capital
A servicemember of the National Guard is showing improvement after he was critically injured in an ambush-style shooting last month in Washington DC.
The parents of Andrew Wolfe, 24, say "the injury to his head is slowly healing and that he's starting to 'regain his familiar appearance,'" said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.
The family anticipates the military non-commissioned officer to be in intensive treatment for the next two to three weeks, and they feel hopeful about his progress, said the governor.
Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of two West Virginia National Guard members injured by gunfire when a gunman opened fire in proximity to the White House on November 26th. His colleague, twenty-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries.
"We continue to ask all state residents and the nation's citizens for their prayers!" the governor said.
The governor was present at a candlelight gathering on last Friday night for Staff Sgt Wolfe at Musselman High School in his hometown, where the serviceman was once a student.
A pastor at the vigil read a message from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.
"It is clear to us that there is a long road to go," they wrote, according to local news outlet Metro News.
"However our faith keeps us optimistic. We remain grateful for the well-wishes and the support from people all over the globe."
Previously, the state official said Staff Sgt Wolfe had responded to a nurse with a positive gesture and was capable of wiggle his feet.
Law enforcement have charged the alleged gunman, an individual from Afghanistan named the suspect, with first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill.
Prior to his arrival to the US in two years ago, he was once a member of a special forces unit in a paramilitary group that operated alongside US forces in the South Asian nation.
The injured airman was one of 2,000 National Guard members whom President Donald Trump deployed to the Washington DC in August as part of his immigration and crime-related crackdown in Democratic-led cities.
In the aftermath of the incident, the former president said he wanted another 500 military personnel sent to the nation's capital.
The Trump administration has also cited the shooting as a justification for additional immigration crackdown measures.
They have halted naturalization proceedings for immigrants from 19 countries that were part of a travel ban implemented over the recent season, including the suspect's home country.
