Passengers at Dallas-Fort Worth airport couldn’t look away: A soldier sat on the ground, glued to his phone. His face showed complete shock and occasional tears.

He watched the birth of his baby girl over video chat.

Soldier Brooks Lindsey’s watched his wife give birth to their daughter via FaceTime as his flight from his base in Texas to home in Mississippi was delayed

Specialist Brooks Lindsey was rushing home from pre-mobilization training in Fort Bliss, Texas, as he prepared for deployment to Kuwait with the Army National Guard.

His wife, Haley, was having an emergency induction back home in Brandon, Mississippi, because she faced high blood pressure and preeclampsia. A routine doctor’s visit the previous day revealed the baby was under stress. “I was 20 minutes away from the hospital when they told me ‘Be here in an hour, we’re going to get baby going,’” said Haley. She called the Red Cross to send her husband an emergency message.

Soldiers are typically sent home for births only if the mom or baby is in an emergency situation such as theirs. But a delayed flight derailed his frantic trek home to see the birth of their baby.

“My mom called me and said Haley was starting to push,” said Brooks. “At first they said no videos, but then when they found out what was going on and she was FaceTiming me, they let me watch the whole thing.”

Being there in person was out of the question for Brooks, but his delayed flight allowed him to see the birth.

“Honestly it was a blessing that he was delayed because he would’ve been in the air and he wouldn’t have known anything at all,” said Haley. “I don’t think that has anything on seeing it.”

A woman traveling with him posted this image of Brooks on the floor FaceTiming his wife

Tracy Dover was among bystanders in the airport who watched Brooks witness the birth of his baby girl. She snapped a photo of him and posted it on her Facebook page:

“This Army soldier was on my delayed flight home yesterday to MS. He had to watch the birth of his daughter on FaceTime. He was crying and our hearts were breaking. We all gave him space. When we heard the baby cry, we all rejoiced for him. I wanted to share this because I never want us to forget about our soldiers who serve us every day and the sacrifices they make.”

Only four days after meeting baby Millie, Brooks is on his way back to Fort Bliss. But not before falling in love with his new little lady.

The little girl named Millie Fritz Anne Lindsey was born at 5:23pm. Her father arrived to the airport two hours after she was born

“She is perfect,” says the new dad.

Source:  usatoday.com