Ambushed National Guard member released to rehab

Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, one of two National Guard members shot last month in an ambush attack in Washington, D.C., was well enough to move out of acute care and into inpatient rehabilitation, the MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in a Friday statement. During a 16-day stay in the hospital, the West Virginia National Guard member, who had been shot in the head by a suspected Afghan immigrant, underwent emergency surgery to control bleeding and relieve pressure on his brain, neurosurgeon Jeffrey Mai said. The other guard member targeted in the attack, Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, did not survive.

Wolfe could breathe on his own and stand with assistance as of Friday, according to MedStar. His family chose not to disclose the location of his rehabilitation, Mai said.

Wolfe’s parents, Melody and Jason, thanked doctors and nurses for their care and said in the hospital statement they appreciated the support received from the National Guard and political figures. They also thanked people around the world for their prayers, saying they saw God working and felt His presence in the hospital. Wolfe’s parents asked for continued prayer as he begins a long rehabilitation process.

Dig deeper: Read my report on a weekend terrorist ambush that killed two National Guard members deployed in Syria.