POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Tiffany Pate, spouse of a deployed Pope Airman, did not have her husband by her side while she was giving birth March 1, but she was able to see him the next day. 

Mrs. Pate, her 5-year-old son Tyler, her mother-in-law Brenda talked with Staff Sgt. Jack Pate, 23rd Maintenance Squadron, and showed off his new son Hunter, using virtual teleconferencing technology March 2, at Womack Army Medical Center. Sergeant Pate had worked for weeks at his deployed location to get the VTC set up so he could see his newborn son soon after his birth. 

"My husband thought VTC was for all military -- he thought it was an entitlement. He got his first shirt involved and just kept asking about it," Mrs. Pate said. 

She said she later received a phone call from a non-profit organization called Freedom Calls. 

"The founder of Freedom Calls said he had never seen anyone as passionate about getting the VTC set up as Jack was, but I was confused because I didn't know why this non-profit was involved," said Mrs. Pate. 

The organization paid for the connection time on Sergeant Pate's end, and they help connect families with their deployed service members every day. Womack has VTC capabilities, but it was the first time it had used the hook-up to connect a family to their deployed servicemember. 

VTC is used often by deployed personnel to stay connected, but families generally get only about 10 minutes to talk to one another -- Mrs. Pate was able to talk to her husband for about an hour. She said her husband was relieved to see his baby. 

"He had been really stressed out and sick, but the stress was lifted off his shoulders and he is feeling better. It was good for him to see that we were alright," Mrs. Pate said. 

The experience was a surprise for 5-year-old Tyler, who was happy to see his dad on the TV screen. 

"The baby is really small," Tyler said to his dad, with a big smile on his face.
Mrs. Pate said she may have an opportunity to receive a follow-up VTC meeting with her husband with help from Freedom Calls, but she hasn't received a confirmation yet. She said it would be great if the service was readily available to everyone who gives birth while their husband is away. 

"It would reduce a lot of stress to be able to see their new baby," she said.