Certainly Afghanistan is not where you'd want to be if your wife was in labor back home in Michigan, but that's where Specialist Brock Howland found himself stationed when his wife, Mary, gave birth to their son. Fortunately, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, Brock was able to watch the entire thing on Skype, and it sounds like it actually worked out very well. He even had good reception the whole time.
Mary says it meant everything to be able to connect with him, "To have his support was the world. It felt like the other part of my heart was here." For his part, the new dad says, "It chokes me up. It really did. Especially when he first came out and I saw him on Mary's stomach, I lost it. I absolutely was in tears. I still get really sad and happy at the same time. Sad that I can't be there. But so fortunate and happy that I have such a beautiful son now." Oh, man. As you can imagine, Brock can't wait to meet his son in real life. He doesn't know exactly when it will be, but the sooner the better.
Father Skype's from Afghanistan to be at child's birth [THV11]
Soldier Witnesses Son's Birth Via Skype [Buzzfeed]