President Obama spent this afternoon visiting wounded service members at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, meeting 27 injured troops and awarding eight purple hearts.

During his visit to the hospital the president met with 11 soldiers, 14 Marines, one sailor and one NATO forces member, according to the White House. Twenty-six of the service members that the president met were injured in Afghanistan and one was wounded in Iraq.

The visit comes just two days after the president honored Iraq veterans at a White House dinner, praising those who served as heroes and welcoming them home after nearly nine years of war.

Today marked the president's 12th visit to the military hospital and his first of this year.