278th Soldier Witness Birth of Daughter, 7,000 Miles Away

Photo By Staff Sgt. Shannon R. Gregory | Staff Sgt. Michael S. Mulligan, assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, attached to 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), at Camp Taji, Iraq, attempts to communicate with his wife Lorrie Mulligan, through Skype, while she is delivering their daughter.  

CONTINGENCY OPERATION LOCATION TAJI, IRAQ

06.24.2010

Courtesy Story

278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard

By Staff Sgt. Thomas Greene

CONTINGENCY OPERATION LOCATION TAJI, Iraq - “We knew when she found out she was pregnant that I was going to miss the birth,” said Staff Sgt Michael Mulligan a gun truck commander from Trezevant, Tenn., and a Soldier of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).

After finding out Mulligan would be in Iraq when the baby was due, his wife Lorrie asks her doctor, Dr. Danny Kimberlain of Paris, Tenn. if he would allow showing the birth over the internet.

“Kimberlain said it went against hospital policy. He had never done this before but, he thought this was a perfect opportunity to do it,” said Mulligan.

Mulligan, a member of 3rd platoon, A Troop, First Squadron, was monitoring on Skype, but the doctor put him on hold when they put her epidermal anesthesia in.

Skype is a little piece of software that lets you make free calls to anyone else in the world that has Skype. With a web cam it is live video according to About.com.

“I was going crazy for forty minutes wondering what was going on,” said Mulligan.

When they turned the Skype back on, Mulligan said his sister appeared on his computer screen. She said get ready. The doctor said she (Lorrie) is going to deliver in ten minutes.

Ten minutes later baby Candyce was born. “The doctor held her up for me to see,” said Mulligan.

“The doctor was actually talking to me when he cut the umbilical cord,” said Mulligan. “He said ok dad, I’m going to cut this for you.”

The doctor then checked on the baby, he checked on Lorrie, walked by the camera, looked down and thanked me for being in Iraq and congratulated me for a new baby girl.

The baby was named Candyce Brianna after Mulligan’s mother who passed away in 2003.

Mulligan said he talked about his wife’s pregnancy with his commander, Capt. Patrick Carneal last September.

The commander of the Tennessee Army National Guard unit based out of Huntington and Waynesboro, Tenn., “was very upfront about it,” said Mulligan.

“I understood that I wasn’t going to be able to come home from the deployment for the birth. The captain assured me that he would do everything in his power to see that I was in front of my computer when the baby was born,” said Mulligan.

The night that Candyce was born the commander allowed Mulligan to miss the mission he was scheduled to be on.

Mulligan’s wife and mother of new born Candyce Brianna Mulligan is the former Lorrie Beecham from Mayfield, Ky. Together they have three children.

• Date Taken: 06.24.2010
• Date Posted: 06.24.2010 07:16
• Story ID: 51878
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATION LOCATION TAJI, IQ