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First Lady Laura Bush's State of the Union Guests
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ShareJanuary 28, 2008 7:01 AM
ABC News' Ann Compton Reports: In an unusual move, the White House has released the names of a few guests who will be seated with First Lady Laura Bush in the gallery during tonight's State of the Union address.
Guests include a mother from Indiana who faced foreclosure on the family's home; an Army Staff Sergeant seriously wounded in Iraq but now home and his unit will not be replaced; the mother of a Cuban journalist who is held as a political prisoner; an emergency room nurse; an HIV-positive mother from Tanzania; the head of a university in Afghanistan; former Sen. Bob Dole and Donna Shalala who headed the Wounded Warriors commission, and several others who illustrate elements of the policies in the speech.
Among them is Lori Ball, a stay-at-home mom of four children, whose family began to fall behind on their house payments when her husband had back surgery and was out of work for six months recovering. He lost his job when the company downsized and creditors began to call. Ball got help from HOPE NOW, an alliance of counselors, servicers, investors, and other mortgage market participants whose aim is to help homeowners stay in their homes. The White House said Ball encourages other Americans facing troubles with their mortgage to contact their lender or a credit counselor at 888-995-HOPE.
Staff Sergeant Craig Charloux of Maine was deployed to Diyala Province, Muqdadiyah, Iraq, for 14 months during 2006 -- 2007, and his unit was ambushed during a raid in September 2007 in Baloor, Iraq. He received two grenade blasts, injuring his arm, face, eyes, and leg, but the White House said he was able to complete the raid, killing eight al Qaeda operatives.
Blanca González is the mother of Normando Hernández González, a political prisoner suffering under the regime of Fidel and Raul Castro. She fled Cuba in 2002 and resides in Miami, Florida, but while in Cuba she was a human rights activist and was harassed. Her son is a writer and independent journalist and was arrested in March, 2003, and was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for reporting on the conditions of state-run services in Cuba and for criticizing the government’s management of issues such as tourism, agriculture, fishing, and cultural affairs. His health is deteriorating but remains in prison.
These and other guests will sit with Laura Bush tonight for the President's State of the Union address.
January 28, 2008 in White House | Permalink | User Comments (0)
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