Brockton soldier in Iraq gets to see daughter's birth

The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass.
www.enterprisenews.com
War bonds: Brockton father stationed in Iraq gets to see the birth of his daughter via live video feed.

By Kyle Alspach
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
BROCKTON — Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Tyrelle Greene tried his best to coach his wife, Melissa, as she gave birth to their first child just after midnight Tuesday.
Greene, 22, can't remember exactly what he said, but what he does recall and will never forget is that he could see, hear and interact during the momentous event, despite being thousands of miles away in Iraq.
"I thought it was the most disgusting thing that I'd ever seen in my life," he joked Tuesday afternoon via a video link at Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton.
The Brockton couple and their newborn daughter, Janelle, are the latest military family to benefit from videoconferencing services offered by the Freedom Calls Foundation. The New Jersey-based foundation provides free video links and phone calls to families with loved ones serving abroad.
The organization's founder and executive director, John Harlow II, said the service is not yet available to everyone. It only works for soldiers in Iraq who are stationed at one of four bases where satellite technology has been installed, including the Al Asad base where Tyrelle Greene is serving with Marine Wing Support Squadron 371.
Harlow said the foundation has been providing about 2,000 videoconferences a month. But the birth of the Greenes' child was only the 10th time the foundation has arranged a video link for such an event, Harlow said.
Melissa Greene, 23, said it made a major difference.
"It was a miracle for that to happen, for me to be able to see him, and for him to be able to see me," she said.
One local soldier in a similar situation never got to take advantage of the foundation's videoconferencing services. Marine Sgt. William Callahan of Easton died in Iraq in April, just three weeks after the birth of his son.
The foundation has been offering services since 2004, but is facing a funding shortage, Harlow said. The foundation does not receive contributions from the military and must rely on private and corporate donations, he said.
Spokesmen for Caritas Good Samaritan said the video link for the Greene family was also made possible by a technology upgrade at the hospital.
Tyrelle Greene, who has been in Iraq since March, is expecting to return home this fall.
"I'll be here soon," he said to his wife and newborn child during a videoconference held Tuesday afternoon at the hospital. "It'll be all right."
More information on Freedom Calls can be found at www.freedomcalls.org/.
Kyle Alspach can be reached at kalspach@enterprisenews.com.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• GHSVID
• GHSNEVID
• enterprise
• brockton
• Greene
• Iraq
• birth
• Caritas