Fort Liberty soldier awake after Christmas Day drone attack in Iraq

An 82nd Airborne pilot badly injured in a drone strike on Christmas Day in Iraq is awake, family members told WRAL News.

Garrett Illerbrunn, who turned 41 on Sunday, is stationed out of Fort Liberty. He lives in Pinehurst with his wife, Lorna, and 8-year-old son, Tucker.

On Christmas Day, he was serving at Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq when the base came under attack. A close family friend told WRAL News that Illerbrunn suffered a severe head injury during the attack.

On Tuesday, loved ones told WRAL News that Illerbrunn is out of the ICU and can communicate with physical cues “to some extent.”

Illerbrunn remains unable to speak or feed himself.

Illerbrunn was airlifted to Germany's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the military’s largest hospital overseas, on Dec. 26 and later moved to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The family has a GoFundMe campaign set up to build the tree house llerbrunn planned for Tucker, and to help outfit their home with the proper support he will need when he comes home.

The campaign has raised more than $125,000 since January.

"It has been just over three months since Garrett’s injury and I wanted to take some time to thank everyone, from the depths of my heart, for your support." Lorna Illerbrunn said in an update on the GoFundMe. "I would not have been able to function these past few months without your help."

Loved ones say Tucker continues to show resilience during this time.

The two other service members wounded in the drone attack suffered more minor injuries.

The Iran-backed attack that critically injured Illerbrunn and two other servicemen prompted President Joe Biden to order retaliatory strikes, targeting affiliated groups.

Illerbrunn has been with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade since September 2021.