Soldier Sees Daughter’s Birth Via Internet, Satellite

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — Sgt. William Hamrick II witnessed the birth of his daughter Monday. That may seem unremarkable — except that Hamrick was 6,000 miles away in Iraq.

When doctors induced labor Monday morning at Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital in Parkersburg, Hamrick was virtually at his wife’s side via live Internet video and satellite audio link.

The 25-year-old soldier could see and hear everything as it happened in the hospital room. The satellite audio link let him talk his wife through the contractions. And at 4:04 p.m. in West Virginia, just after midnight in Baghdad, he was able to watch as Elaina Jo Hamrick came into the world.

Angela Hamrick could only hear her husband, but she had a framed photo of him at her bedside.

“Just being able to hear his voice was well worth it,” the new mom said. “I knew he was around me somehow.”