Crew delay boarding of a flight to allow a soldier to see the birth of his first daughter online

Those who choose the military career know that they will have to spend many periods of time away from home, away from loved ones - but it is a sacrifice that soldiers willingly accept. This does not prevent them from starting a family, of course, although it will be more difficult. Brooks Lindsey, who was unable to be present at the birth of his first daughter, is well aware of this, but he nevertheless assisted his wife from afar, via a video call, while he tried to catch a plane to reach her. Between waits and flight delays, the most extraordinary thing is that the airport staff delayed a flight in order to allow Brooks to witness the birth of his daughter online, via his mobile phone.

via Facebook / Tracy Dover

A father would do almost anything to be present for the birth of their child, and to support their wife or partner in this delicate moment. Brooks Lindsey was stationed in Texas while preparing for a nine-month deployment to Kuwait; the man knew there was little hope that he could return home for the birth of his first child. On top of this, his wife Haley had to give birth 2 weeks early due to some complications, catching Brooks off guard.

At Haley's request, Brooks was granted leave to allow him to leave his base in Texas and to fly to the hospital where his wife was about to have give birth. To leave his post, Brooks had to wait until the next morning, and he was due to board while Haley was in labor.

When it became clear that Brooks was not going to make it, his mother, present in the delivery room, made a video call to allow him to at least virtually attend the big event on his smart phone. She was not allowed to film in the delivery room, but the woman tried to be discreet. Brooks was waiting in Dallas to catch his second flight, but it was clear by now that the delay wouldn't allow him to get to the hospital in time. But this was not the end of the world, however, because this delay between the two flights allowed him to check up on his wife and, finally, to virtually attend the birth. The moment of boarding, in fact, was decisive: "Do not let him board the flight! She is here! She is here!", shouted the doctor from the delivery room. At this point, the whole airport showed their solidarity with the new dad and the flight staff delayed boarding to allow him to watch the livestream on his phone until his daughter was born.

"I was so upset about the delayed flight, until I saw my baby being born. If I had been on the flight, I would have missed the entire moment" Brooks said. He continued: "When I saw my baby it was thrilling, she's my first daughter and she just made my heart fill up with joy - she is perfect. "

A few hours later, Brooks managed to get to the hospital and to hold his little daughter, Millie, in his arms. The man was able to see his wife again after 3 months and enjoyed 4 days of leave with his new family, before leaving to continue his military duties.