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Marine Dad Serving in Afghanistan Greets His Baby Girl at
Grand View Hospital via Skype
In the News
Several area news stations covered the story of U.S. Marine Cpl. Caleb Reichard, his wife Whitney, and their newborn Lyndie. Check them out here.
CBS 3 News
Channel 6 News
Channel 69 News |
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Thanks to an Internet connection and a laptop computer, U.S. Marine Cpl. Caleb Reichard serving in Afghanistan was able to support his wife 6,000 miles away at Grand View Hospital during the labor and delivery of their first child Saturday.
His face beamed from the screen as he greeted his daughter Lyndie Grace upon her birth at 5:39 pm EST – 1:39 a.m., October 10 in Afghanistan time.
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Grand View Hospital has thousands of deliveries, but this was the first time a father witnessed the birth of his child at the hospital via Skype software over the Internet. For the duration of his wife’s 12-hour labor, Cpl. Caleb’s face was visible on a laptop placed at her side. "With just two seconds of delay we were able to converse with him and he would constantly ask 'How is she doing, are you okay?" said Dr. Jennifer Landes, who delivered the baby.
Watching from afar, the expectant father nodded off a few times during his wife’s labor. For new mom, Whitney Reichard, being able to speak with and see her husband was a big help. She said, “Caleb was very encouraging and actively involved all day. He is a very involved and supportive husband and will be the same as a father. That’s how he is.”
Seeing his wife holding their baby, Lyndie Grace, for the first time, the new dad’s face beamed on the screen. “Beautiful. They are just beautiful,” he said. |
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U.S. Marine Cpl. Caleb Reichard, Whitney, and newborn Lyndie
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Baby Lyndie Grace is eight pounds, three ounces and is 19” long. She and her mother were discharged from Grand View Hospital on Monday, October 11. The new family is hopeful to be reunited -- in person -- in February.
A native of Macungie, Cpl. Caleb and his wife Whitney reside at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC. Since his deployment to Afghanistan, Whitney has been staying with her parents, Sharon and Mario Landaverry in East Greenville, where she grew up. She intends to stay there with the new bundle of joy until January. She and Caleb met at Salem Christian School, where they were high school sweethearts. |
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