Rep. Gabby Giffords played a poignant role in last night’s anniversary ceremony honoring the victims of the mass shooting in Tucson. Just one year ago, she narrowly survived the attack that killed six people and wounded 12 others.
To the delight of the crowd, the Democratic congresswoman led the Pledge of Allegiance at a candlelight vigil on the University of Arizona campus.
Ron Barber, her chief of staff who was also shot, invited her to the podium to recite it. And her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, helped lift her hand over her heart for the pledge.
This past year, Giffords has been undergoing intense physical and speech therapy after being shot in the head. She’s had to re-learn how to walk and talk. Her long-term prognosis is still unknown to doctors. Suspected gunman Jared Lee Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the massacre. The 23-year-old is currently being held at a Missouri prison, awaiting trial.
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