Washington ( CNN ) -- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords joined about 50 dignitaries and family members Thursday in Washington to mark the retirement of her husband , Capt . Mark Kelly , from the U.S. Navy . Kelly , 47 , enlisted the military in 1987 and served as a combat and test pilot before joining the U.S. space program . He was part of space shuttle flights in 2001 and 2006 , and then commanded ones in 2008 and again in May . The last one took place several months after Giffords was among 13 people wounded in a shooting at a constituent event outside a Tucson , Arizona , supermarket . Six others -- including a federal judge and a child -- were killed . Since then , the Arizona Democrat has been mostly out of the public eye and in intense rehabilitation in Arizona and Texas . One exception , prior to Thursday , was her August 1 return to the Capitol to cast a vote to raise the nation 's debt ceiling . She attended Thursday 's event inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building , located next to the West Wing of the White House , along with her congressional chief of staff , Pia Carusone , plus her and Kelly 's mothers and his two teenage daughters from a previous marriage . Sporting glasses , black pants , running shoes and a brace on her right hand , Giffords smiled as she entered to prolonged applause and sat in the front row . Kelly officially retired from the Navy on Saturday . Thursday 's event to commemorate the occasion was attended by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden , House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi , Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and several other members of Congress . At one point , Giffords helped present her husband with the Legion of Merit and Distinguishing Flying Cross medals , in honor of his fourth space shuttle mission . Vice President Joe Biden presided over the ceremony , attaching a Legion of Merit pin to Kelly 's jacket and later offering remarks . `` It 's not every day you encounter examples of sheer , sheer courage and selflessness and dedication like you see in this couple , '' he said of Giffords and Kelly . Kelly also spoke , extending thanks to those who have offered their `` boundless friendship and optimism '' over the past eight , trying months . And he made a plea for NASA to `` remain a permanent part of the fabric of this great country . '' The former astronaut gave flowers to his daughters and wife , then addressed her in front of the crowd . `` Gabby , you remind me every day to deny the acceptance of failure , '' he said . `` I look forward to the next phase of our life together and watching all of your future achievements . '' Kelly announced his retirement in June , writing then on his Facebook page that he wanted to devote more time to helping Giffords recover from her injuries and spend more time with his daughters . `` This was not an easy decision . Public service has been more than a job for me and for my family , '' he wrote .
Captain formally retired from the U.S. military on Saturday . Vice President Obama presided over formal retirement ceremonies . Captain 's wife , Gabrielle Giffords , shot last January , takes part in the ceremony . The ex - astronaut says Giffords told him not to accept failure .