Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) entered the House chamber to wide applause before the State of the Union address. Later, when President Obama entered the chamber, and made the rounds shaking hands before the speech, he made a special stop to meet with her.
Giffords, who survived after she was shot in the head at a district event a year ago, is resigning from the House in order to focus on her recovery.
Obama could be seen hugging Giffords, and having a brief conversation.