WASHINGTON, D.C. — The mother of Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, a member of the West Virginia Air National Guard who was shot in the head last November, was one of the military mothers honored Wednesday at a White House event in advance of Mother’s Day.
Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, were ambushed while on duty in D.C. on Nov. 26. Beckstrom died from the attack, and Wolfe was left in critical condition. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, was charged in December in U.S. District Court with federal counts in connection with the ambush-style shooting.
Wolfe’s mother, Melody, joined U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and others for the tribute to military mothers.
The president praised Mrs. Wolfe for her unwavering faith while her son faced long odds of survival.
“Nobody thought Andrew was going to make it,” President Trump said. “Melody told me, and I called her that evening in the hospital, ‘sir, I have no doubt, [but] the doctors say he won’t be making it.'”
Trump called Mrs. Wolfe up to the stage. She said the nation supported Andrew when nobody thought he would make it. Mrs. Wolfe said the gunshot entered the left part of Andrew’s brain.
“We have a strong faith in God, and God is what brought our son through this,” Mrs. Wolfe said. “He gave us an amazing backing, He gave us amazing doctors, He gave us amazing nurses, and our nation, our community, just all of the support, and the support of the White House medical staff.”
Trump said he remained in contact with Mrs. Wolfe and doctors to ask about Andrew’s condition.
“She said, ‘he’s doing really well,'” Trump said. “The doctors would say, ‘I think he maybe will make it.’ And she turned out to be right. It was a sort of a miracle, actually. They talk about the power of positive thinking — I’ve never seen anything like this one. You wouldn’t believe it. He had no chance, I’m telling you, and she willed it.”
Trump awarded Andrew Wolfe and the late Beckstrom with the nation’s Purple Heart during his State of the Union address in February. “This was a real Purple Heart,” he said. “This was a terrible thing that happened.”
Beckstrom and Wolfe were on duty near the Farragut West public transportation hub at the corner of 17th and I Streets NW, Washington, D.C., about two blocks from the White House.
Video from a location near the crime scene shows the suspect standing on the sidewalk of I Street outside the Farragut West Metro station for about a minute, looking west toward the intersection with 17th Street, according to the affidavit. The suspect then began running in the direction of the intersection.
Shots rang out as the suspect rounded the corner and fired. Beckstrom and Wolfe fell to the ground.
They were among more than 300 members of the West Virginia National Guard originally deployed to Washington, D.C. in August for “Operation Safe and Beautiful.”
They joined about 2,750 Guard members from several states who participated in walking or standing patrols in heavily traveled areas like national parks or Metro stops.
Last November, West Virginia officials decided to make the mission volunteer-only, and so Beckstrom and Wolfe were among about 160 who remained in Washington, D.C., as volunteers.
Mrs. Wolfe said Andrew came home from the hospital April 2nd, a little over four months after the gunman shot him. She said Andrew is enjoying being home and is getting back to playing golf and cornhole. She added that she believes Andrew will make a full recovery.
“We’re truly blessed that we’re able to get him into some outpatient care closer to home,” Mrs. Wolfe said. “We do have another surgery coming up in September. Recovery, is my understanding, will happen for quite some time. I have no doubt that he will be 100 percent back to Andrew within a few years, independent, driving, being a young bachelor again.”
MetroNews’ Brad McElhinny contributed to this story.