A newly arrived Syrian refugee with a harrowing story and a Muslim former US soldier will be among the White House invitees at President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address on Tuesday, AFP reports.
The White House on Sunday announced the names of the guests invited to join Michelle Obama in the gallery of the House of Representatives when legislators, Supreme Court justices and other dignitaries assemble to hear the president lay out his chief goals for the year.
One of the guests, Refaai Hamo, arrived in Detroit only on December 18 with his surviving children -- three daughters and a son -- after spending two years in Turkey.
He had fled Syria after a missile fired by Syrian government forces destroyed the complex where he and his family lived, the White House said. Hamo's wife, one of their daughters and five other family members perished.
Also at Michelle Obama's side will be Naveed Shah, a Muslim and former US soldier, who was a child when his parents immigrated to the country from Pakistan. Shah joined the army in 2006 and served in Iraq.