Young Syrian Refugee Gets Hug From Moulton At State Of The Union

WASHINGTON (CBS) – A Massachusetts Congressman's special guest at Tuesday's State of the Union address is getting a lot of attention.

Rep. Seth Moulton invited 9-year-old Ahmad Alkhalaf to join him at the president's speech. Ahmad lost three siblings and both arms in an airstrike at a Syrian refugee camp, and is seeking asylum in the United States.

"Ahmad is such a courageous young man. It was an honor to meet him," Moulton said on social media before the address.

He also shared a photo of himself giving Ahmad a hug.

In November, Ahmad wrote a letter to President Obama and signed it by holding a pen in his mouth.

"There are many children like me. Even if they did not lose their arms, then they lost everything else," Ahmad said in the letter.

Ahmad's mother and four other siblings are still in Turkey, while he's living in the Boston area with his father. Ahmad is receiving care at Boston Children's Hospital and hopes to one day get prosthetic arms.