A member of the National Guard is on the mend after he was gravely wounded in an ambush-style shooting last month in the US capital.
The family of Andrew Wolfe, twenty-four, say "his head wound is gradually improving and that he's beginning to 'regain his familiar appearance,'" said the state's chief executive Patrick Morrisey.
The soldier's relatives expects the Air Force staff sergeant to be in intensive treatment for the coming fortnight, and they feel hopeful about his progress, according to the official's statement.
The serviceman was one of a pair of state guardsmen injured by gunfire when a gunman opened fire in proximity to the presidential residence on 26 November. His colleague, 20-year-old his counterpart, died from her injuries.
"Our request remains for all West Virginians and Americans for their prayers!" Morrisey declared.
Morrisey was present at a candlelight gathering on Friday evening for Staff Sgt Wolfe at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia, where the serviceman was once a student.
A pastor at the event shared a message from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.
"It is clear to us that there is a difficult journey to go," they expressed, as reported by local news outlet Metro News.
"However our faith keeps us optimistic. We remain thankful for the well-wishes and the support from people all over the world."
Previously, the governor said the serviceman had responded to a nurse with a positive gesture and was able to wiggle his feet.
Law enforcement have formally accused the alleged gunman, an Afghan national named the suspect, with premeditated homicide and attempted murder.
Before coming to the US in 2021, he was once a member of a special forces unit in a CIA-backed unit that operated alongside US forces in the South Asian nation.
Staff Sgt Wolfe was one of 2,000 National Guard members whom President Donald Trump deployed to the Washington DC in last summer as part of his policy initiative in Democratic-led cities.
Following the incident, Trump said he wanted an additional five hundred military personnel deployed to the District of Columbia.
The former presidential office has also referenced the shooting as a justification for further restrictive policies.
They have halted naturalization proceedings for immigrants from 19 countries that were part of a entry restriction announced over the summer, among them Afghanistan.
