Soldier in Afghanistan Able to See Daughter’s Birth in Missouri!

Reflections of a Paralytic ^ | 7-29-10 | Chelsea Zimmerman

[mlizzy]

This is just awesome!!! From the Jefferson City News Tribune:

HANNIBAL, Mo. (AP) — Army Capt. David Cooper was in Afghanistan when his daughter was born in Missouri. But thanks to technology, he was able to not only witness the birth but help coach his wife through labor.

David and his wife Laurie used Skype and, though they had some trouble connecting throughout the day, it worked perfectly for two hours before Charlotte Rose was born.

Laurie says she and hospital staff were able to see the sun come up in Afghanistan as the baby was being born just after dusk in Missouri.

Is that not the best advertisement for Skype or what? As military divorce rates rise due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hopefully something like this can help to (at least somewhat) ease the stress on both the active-duty service members and their spouses.

[mlizzy]

We have used Skype to connect with friends/family in other parts of the country/world. This is a nice story! Must have made all the difference in the world to both Capt. David Cooper and his wife. And some day, his little girl, too.:)

[knittnmom]

Awesome!

[gattaca]

Congrats, nice to hear some good news!!!

[mlizzy]

Indeed! This good story brings me to the baby ward in the hospital, where I smell Dial soap (that was the hospital’s brand) and see in my mind the beautiful miracles of God, all lined up in their little bins.

[Drew68]

Skype is truly wonderful! My wife uses it to talk to her family and friends back in Ukraine, saving me a fortune on long distance bills and I use it often to talk to my friends and family back in Colorado, especially my parents who love to see their baby grandson when I put him in front of the camera.

[MarineMom613]

When my son’s 3rd son was born and he was on deployment in Iraq, there was an organization that allowed him to see the baby via something like a video conference. Local tv stations picked up on story. It was great. There are alot of organizations that do things like this to boost morale among Marines and soldiers. And it seems to work. I got a copy of the tape via email from the tv station that aired the story.

[mlizzy]

Awww. That’s wonderful. They must go crazy when their grandson comes online. When our daughter is away at college, I still get so excited to see her via Skype.