Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Tristan Labuguen | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — Haden Morales, a 22-year-old emergency...... read more read more
Standing watch at the Regional Dispatch Center (RDC) on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, emergency dispatchers serve as the critical, yet often unseen, first link in the military’s emergency response chain. While a typical shift consists of base operations and administrative monitoring, the nature of emergency communications means dispatchers must be prepared to transition to life-saving procedures in a single heartbeat.
On the morning of July 3, 2026, 22-year-old dispatcher Haden Morales settled in for what he expected to be a standard shift of monitoring base incidents and managing administrative routing. Instead, he answered a call that would test his training, resolve, and composure in a race against the clock to bring a new life into the world.
Morales, a Central Oahu native who has been on the job for just nine months, successfully guided a frantic caller through the delivery of a healthy baby girl over the phone.
For his outstanding handling of the emergency, Morales was presented with the Stork Award, an honor reserved for emergency dispatchers who successfully instruct 911 callers through the birthing process until medical personnel arrive on scene.
"A typical shift consists of handling a mixture of emergency and administrative calls," Morales said. "It also includes documenting and monitoring incidents across multiple bases and confirming that the appropriate notifications are made."
An out-of-hospital delivery was the last thing he was expecting.
When the call connected, Morales was met with high emotion and panic: The caller was with a woman who was in labor. While the emergency system pinged the general vicinity of the caller, Morales needed a confirmed address to dispatch paramedics to the exact location. The caller, gripped by the intensity of the moment, struggled to provide the address.
"One specific moment where the call began to rapidly evolve was between confirming the address and giving the instructions to prepare the mother for birth," Morales recalled. "Help was already dispatched to the area where the call was pinging, but I needed the caller to confirm the exact location so we could update our paramedics right away."
Despite the escalating tension on the other end of the line, Morales remained calm, aware of the fact that his voice was the only anchor the caller and the laboring mother had.
"What helps keep a calm, focused composure is just the understanding of the crucial role this position plays," Morales said. "Managing the situation to the best of my ability, from the time a call comes in to when help arrives, helps me step up and focus on the goal of achieving something bigger than myself."
With the address confirmed and emergency medical services en route, Morales started pre-arrival birthing instructions.
First, he instructed the caller to place the phone on speaker, so their hands were free to assist. He then directed the mother to lie flat on her back, preparing her to push. Guided by what the caller could see, Morales calmly walked them through the physical delivery.
"One crucial point was to maintain a clear, calm, and steady tone so that the caller would not second-guess what they heard," Morales explained.
As the baby girl made her entrance, Morales gave the final, vital post-delivery instruction: wrap the newborn in a clean, warm towel and place her directly against the mother’s chest to maintain her body temperature.
Less than five minutes after the delivery, paramedics arrived on the scene and took over medical care, allowing the caller to safely disconnect.
While dispatchers are often described as the "invisible" first responders, their prompt actions are critical to the first-responder chain. Within 15 minutes of disconnecting the call, Morales was notified by his operations manager that he would receive the Stork Award.
This experience highlights the important role that dispatchers play as a critical piece of a much bigger puzzle. “Every part of the emergency response system relies on one another, and one role cannot function effectively without the others. Dispatchers are the first connection between someone in need and the help that is on the way,” said Morales.
True to the collaborative nature of emergency services, Morales insists the award is a shared achievement.
"This award, to me personally, is a reflection of our team here at RDC," he said. "It is another positive reminder of the dedication, teamwork, and commitment that everyone brings to this team."
Though Morales is not in contact with the family, the impact of those few frantic minutes is something he carries with him as he approaches his one-year anniversary with the RDC this October.
"Knowing there is a baby who is alive and well because of me is a pretty cool thing to think about," he said. "What drew me to this line of work is that this career gives me the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. Just knowing that the work I do can save someone's life, or in this case help bring life into the world, is incredibly rewarding."
| Date Taken: | 08.10.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.10.2026 19:10 |
| Story ID: | 572015 |
| Location: | HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Calm Under Pressure: Emergency Dispatcher Earns 'Stork Award' for Guiding 911 Caller Through Childbirth, by Raquel Cloma, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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