Army Staff Sgt. Kelly Ann Pels, of Cincinnati, Ohio,

Army Staff Sgt. Kelly Ann Pels, of Cincinnati, Ohio, with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, United States Division - Center, meets Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, July 11, 2011 during a town hall meeting with troops stationed at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. Pels was one of six deployed service members representing each of the military service branches the Defense Secretary called on Independence Day to personally thank them for their service overseas. Pels was chosen as the National Guard representative to receive the Independence Day call from the Defense Secretary. She said it was an honor to shake his hand just one week after their phone conversation.