Marine in Iraq watches his daughter's birth in Alabama

AP/NY Times:

Marine Cpl. Terrence Lambert will have to wait until his return to Alabama in the fall to hold his first child, but a satellite linkup in Iraq allowed him to witness her birth on Father's Day.

Lambert, 21, watched from a room at Alisade Air Base, near the Syrian border in Iraq, while his wife, Jodilynn, gave birth early Sunday at Jacksonville Medical Center.

Twenty-year-old Jodilynn Lambert could see her husband on a 50-inch television screen as they talked and waited until their daughter, Katherine Annalee Lambert, arrived.

''It usually takes two months for us to get a letter. So this is a big improvement,'' he said.

...

Freedom Calls Foundation paid the $2,000 charge for the video conference. I am sure it was a memorable experience for the new Mom and Dad.