PRESIDENT'S GRATITUDE President Barack Obama thanks Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta after Obama announced his nomination of Chuck Hagel as the new defense secretary at the White House, Jan. 7, 2013. Hagel, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, earned two Purple Hearts as an infantry squad leader during the Vietnam War. SHARE: Download: Full Size (0.07 MB) Credit: VIRIN: 978255-O-FGV11-832.jpg Photo Gallery