TROY, N.Y. -- At a time when many are preparing to honor our country's heroes, one local solder returning home from her tour of duty in Iraq wanted to thank the officers right here in the community for their hard work and commitment to making the streets a better place.

"We were extremely excited to have Penny come in and present us this plaque and this flag that was flown over Iraq in a war zone. It's so important to me that I felt it was perfect timing here on Veterans Day to honor our troops and to welcome back one of the wonderful people that works with us each and every day," said Troy Police Chief Nicholas Kaiser.

Tech Sergeant Penny Brooks has served for 16 years. When she isn't overseas, she dedicates a lot of her time to domestic violence issues.