'Christmas Miracle': WV National Guard Shot in DC Ambush Moving Towards Full Recovery
The West Virginia National Guard is thanking Americans for their continued prayer for Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, sharing in an update that he is moving closer towards recovery after showing ability to move and showing more signs of responsiveness.
Wolfe was one of two service members shot the night before Thanksgiving in Washington, D.C. by a 29-year-old Afghan national, federal authorities said.
West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom who was on duty with Wolfe, was tragically killed.
However, Wolfe now appears to be on the road to a surprising recovery. President Trump announced last night, “Today I got a call that he got up from bed. Do you believe that? He got up. He got up!"
"Now, he didn’t speak,” Trump added. “He’s not ready for that yet. I mean, he got hit in the head.”
The West Virginia National Guard medical staff provided an update as well on Tuesday, about Wolfe's progress.
"Yesterday his rehab team had him sitting up on his bed with his feet off the side. On command he straightened his back and sat up straight and raised his head," reads the statement.
It continues, "Last night mom was near the head of the bed and Andy put his arm around her neck and patted her on the back of the head. He was comforting his mom and I think telling her that he was coming back to them."
"This morning his nurse was talking to him and he smiled back at the nurse," the report added. "A Christmas miracle is happening. Thank you to all for your continued prayers."
Dr. Josh McConkey, the West Virginia Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for the National Capital Region Joint Task Force, told CBN News last week that the 24-year-old was in critical condition after being in an "ambush-style" attack conducted by Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Wolfe and Beckstrom were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard as part of the White House's effort to bolster law-enforcement in Washington D.C. to combat crime in the nation's capital, WTRF-TV reports.
"I'm so glad to hear that he's alive and responding," McConkey said.
Meanwhile, in a video shared to social media Sunday by Melody Wolfe, the Guard member's mother, alongside his wife, Leslie, and Adjutant General Maj. Gen Jim Seward, said the young man was "surpassing expectations."
"Andy is being very active, more alert. Sedation has come off, they're scaling back on his pain medication," Melody Wolfe said. "He itched his forehead this morning; he itched it last night. This morning, I went to bop his little nose. He looked at me, gave me the side eye, turned away from me. He did turn his head to look at me again when I said his name."
Melody thanked the public for praying for her son and asked people to "be kind" and show respect to the National Guardsmen deployed in Washington D.C.
"They have volunteered for a service; they are not being forced to do this," she said. "So just give them a smile, a nod, and I know that that would make Andy and Sarah both very happy to know that their brothers and sisters in uniform are being well respected."
Hundreds joined in prayer outside the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office in West Virginia last week to pray for his recovery.
The Weirton Daily Times reports first responders, service members, and residents gathered after posing the question, "What can we do?"
"One thing led to another," Sheriff Rob Blair told the outlet, "And we came to the conclusion that we should invite Berkeley County emergency services, and if people from the community ended up showing up, that's great too, because there's power in the amount of people praying."
