Safia Taleb al-Suhail and Laura Bush

There was an emotional moment during Wednesday's State of the Union address when the mother of a 25-year-old Marine killed in Iraq, Janet Norwood, embraced an Iraqi voter, Safia Taleb al-Suhail.

They were among the guests invited to sit with the president's wife Laura Bush for the annual address. Also on the guest list were several uniformed members of the U.S. military and a woman who voted in Afghanistan's election late last year.

The Iraqi is Safia Taleb al-Suhail, an adviser to the Iraqi ministry on foreign affairs. The Afghan woman is Homira G. Nassery, a Kabul native who has worked for the World Bank.

Mr. Bush said Ms. al-Suhail told him her country was occupied by Saddam Hussein for 35 years, and she thanked American troops for paying the cost.

Typically, presidents invite guests to their state of the union addresses to illustrate policies or programs outlined in the speech.