Kellie Pickler’s longstanding dedication to giving back to America’s Armed Forces was recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense. Pickler received the special honor, titled the Department of Defense Spirit of Hope Award, Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C.

The award is named for the legendary entertainer Bob Hope, known for his tireless commitment to supporting the troops with the USO, and recognizes an individual who has “selflessly contributed an extraordinary amount of time, talent or resources to significantly enhance the quality of life of service members and their families serving around the world.” Recipients are also honored for exhibiting the same noble characteristics as Hope: duty, honor, courage, loyalty, commitment, integrity and selfless dedication.

“I am so humbled to be in such great company in receipt of this honor from the Department of Defense,” Pickler shared after accepting the award with her husband Kyle Jacobs. “We’ve been so blessed to have a great relationship with the USO which has allowed us to be able to take a little piece of home to our service men and women both overseas and here at home.”

Pickler has gone on nine USO tours thus far in her career. She was also given the first-ever Operation Troop Aid Chris Kyle Patriot Award in 2015, presented to her by Kyle’s parents at CMA Fest, as well as the Heart for the Warrior award in 2013 from the USO of North Carolina.

The singer is currently starring in her own reality show on CMT called I Love Kellie Pickler alongside Jacobs. She parted ways with her former label, Black River Entertainment, earlier this year, but has not yet announced any new projects. She also appeared recently on the Ellen show, during which she got quite a fright — even though Halloween is still weeks away — following Carrie Underwood’s scare of the same caliber.

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