Tucson Guests to Join Michelle Obama at State of the Union

Some of the relatives and supporters of the victims of the mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz. will attend President Obama's State of the Union address tomorrow as guests of First Lady Michelle Obama.

Daniel Hernandez, an intern for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) who has been hailed as a hero, will sit with the first lady during the speech, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today.

The 20-year-old intern rushed to Giffords' aid after she was shot in the head during a political gathering in Tucson on Jan. 8. Giffords and 18 others were shot in the incident, and six were killed.

Along with Hernandez, Mrs. Obama will sit with the family of Christina Taylor Green, a 9-year-old girl killed in the shooting, and Dr. Peter Rhee, the surgeon who has treated Giffords. Surgeon Randall Friese, neurosurgeon Michael Lemole and nurse Tracy Culbert also plan to attend the address, the Associated Press reports.

Giffords' husband, Houston-based astronaut Mark Kelly, was invited to attend the speech but has chosen to stay close to his wife, according to the AP. She was transferred last week to a Houston rehabilitation center.

Gibbs said that along with the Tucson guests, the first lady will be joined by "those that the president has met with and talked with throughout his travels around the country in the past year."

Gibbs added that the president in his speech will touch on themes he addressed when he traveled to Tucson in the aftermath of the shooting: "Working together and the need to have a debate that is appropriate to the size of the challenges that we face in this country."

Watch CBS News' Kaylee Hartung profile hero Daniel Hernandez on "Washington Unplugged":

Stephanie Condon

Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.

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