National Guardsman Healing Following Sustaining Gunshot Wounds in the Nation's Capital

A member of the Air 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 the 24-year-old soldier, twenty-four, say "the injury to his head is slowly healing and that he's starting to 'regain his familiar appearance,'" stated the state's chief executive Patrick Morrisey.

The family expects the military non-commissioned officer to be in acute care for the coming fortnight, and they feel hopeful about his progress, said the governor.

The serviceman was one of two West Virginia National Guard members injured by gunfire when a shooter began shooting not far from the presidential residence on November 26th. His fellow guardsmember, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, succumbed to her wounds.

"Our request remains for all West Virginians and Americans for their thoughts and prayers!" Morrisey declared.

Morrisey attended a vigil on last Friday night for the injured soldier at a local secondary school in Inwood, West Virginia, where the guardsman was once a pupil.

A pastor at the vigil read a message from the guardsman's mother and father, his family.

"It is clear to us that there is a difficult journey to go," they expressed, according to local news outlet outlets.

"However our faith keeps us optimistic. We remain grateful for the well-wishes and the support from people all over the globe."

Earlier in the week, the governor said the serviceman had responded to a nurse with a thumbs-up and was able to move his toes.

Police have charged the alleged gunman, an individual from Afghanistan named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, with first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Prior to his arrival to the United States in 2021, he was once a member of a special forces unit in a paramilitary group that worked with US forces in the South Asian nation.

The injured airman was one of 2,000 National Guard members whom the former president dispatched to the Washington DC in August as part of his immigration and crime-related crackdown in Democratic-led cities.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Trump said he desired another 500 military personnel sent to the nation's capital.

The Trump administration has also referenced the attack as a reason for further immigration crackdown measures.

They have halted naturalization proceedings for foreign nationals from 19 countries that were part of a travel ban implemented over the summer, including the suspect's home country.