Lowell Sun: Moulton Bringing Syrian Refugee to State of the Union

LOWELL - U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who recently slammed Gov. Charlie Baker for saying he wasn't interested in accepting Syrian refugees before he learned about the federal government's screening process, is bringing a 9-year-old Syrian refugee to the State of the Union tonight. Ahmad Alkhalaf, who lost both his arms in a regime airstrike while in a Syrian refugee camp, will be Moulton's guest at President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address.

When a bomb hit the Syrian refugee camp where Ahmad and his family were living, it killed three of his siblings and caused Ahmad to lose both of his arms.

Ahmad and his father now live in the Boston area, where Ahmad has been receiving medical care from Boston Children's Hospital.

His mother and four other siblings are living in Turkey.

In a letter he wrote to Obama, Ahmad tells his story and asks the president to consider the plight of other Syrian refugees and particularly children.

"I remember the screaming and the blood," he wrote to Obama. "There was so much blood... Now, I have no arms. I was so sad, but my dad told me to be patient. He said, 'Be patient, Ahmad, even with no arms, there is nothing you cannot do.' "There are many children like me. Even if they did not lose their arms, then they lost everything else," added Ahmad, who now lives in Sharon. Ahmad also states in the letter that his dream is to get new arms and to see his mom again.

Moulton said he became aware of Ahmad since he is getting treatment at the world-class hospitals in Boston.

Read the full article here