Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg became the face of wounded warriors on Tuesday following President Obama's effusive praise and a rousing standing ovation that united a divided Congress at the State of the Union, the Associated Press reported.
Obama had met wounded veteran Remsburg three times before Tuesday night-once in France and twice since a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on his 10th deployment.
The fourth meeting was when the Army Ranger inspired the emotional high point of the evening at Obama's State of the Union address.
Toward the end of his policy-heavy address, Obama gestured toward the uniformed man from Phoenix seated next to first lady Michelle Obama, describing the difference between the Remsburg he'd met over the years, the AP reported.
The first time was when Remsburg's fellow soldier had found the wounded warrior face-down in a canal-"sharp as a tack"-underwater, with shrapnel in his brain.
"The next time I met him, in the hospital, he couldn't speak; he could barely move," Obama said to the now-silent crowd in the House chamber. "Over the years, he's endured dozens of surgeries and procedures, and hours of grueling rehab every day."
Remsburg, who had been clapping all evening by patting his right hand on his chest due to his left hand being in a brace, was the center of attention as lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and Cabinet members looked at him while Obama spoke, the AP reported.
Obama said Remsburg is still blind in one eye and struggles on his left side. Having slowly learned to speak, stand and walk again, he's been awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
"Like the Army he loves, like the America he serves, Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg never gives up and he does not quit," Obama said.
Everyone in the chamber stood and applauded Remsburg for a minute and 44 seconds, the most sustained applause of the evening.
Wearing a bow tie under his uniform, Remsburg stood, waved and gave a thumbs up. Obama returned it, the Associated Press reported.