A soldier got an unexpected welcome on his return from Afghanistan -- the birth of his new child.
Pte. Shawn MacIsaac's fianc�e Crystal Carroll was due to give birth on August 6 and MacIsaac was granted an early leave to witness the birth of his son.
"Every day it was my running joke," MacIsaac told CTV's Canada AM. "I would ask... and sometimes they would get upset with me, but they were really good about it."
MacIsaac ended his six month tour of duty on July 31. Although he knew he would be returning home soon he was only notified of his exact departure hours before it actually occurred. He was scheduled to return home to Canada on August 9 and Carroll was due to give birth on August 6.
However, the baby arrived sooner than anyone thought.
Carroll was completely caught off guard by the birth as she was not suffering from any labour pains. "I had nothing, I was just exceptionally tired," Carroll said.
She had arrived at CFB Gagetown, N.B. to meet MacIsaac on the evening of July 31. The couple were reunited later that night and headed to a hotel. On arrival, MacIsaac immediately fell asleep, exhausted from his trip but he was soon awakened at about 1.45 a.m. when Carroll's water broke.
"I thought I was dreaming," said MacIsaac.
The couple arrived at a Fredericton-area hospital within 20 minutes.
After almost five hours of labour, the couple's son Quinn was born weighing eight pounds and 11 ounces. The birth was especially poignant for MacIsaac, whose tour of duty was still fresh in his mind.
"Going from where I was for six months with all the traumatic events I had and coming home and seeing my son born into the world in a free nation is absolutely unbelievable," MacIsaac said.
MacIsaac had been acutely aware of how close his homecoming date and due date of his baby were when he left for his six-month tour of duty.
"Every time I talked to Crystal on the phone, she would bring the phone to her belly and I'd tell Quinn 'Stay home, daddy's coming, daddy's coming home,'" MacIsaac said.
Now that MacIsaac and the couple's newborn son have both arrived from two very different journeys, for Carroll, the happiness is palpable.
"Absolutely the best feeling in the world," she said.
