Sgt. Hunter McNamara's rest and relaxation break was right on target.
He made it home from Iraq just in time for the birth of his first child.
One week old Parker is not yet able to roll over or even lift his own head, but the moment he was born, he brought Sgt. McNamara to his knees.
"Truthfully, I almost fainted, but it was a great feeling," said Hunter.
Hunter's wife, Kylene, was having contractions at the airport when he came home from Iraq for a two week R & R leave just a few days earlier.
Then on January16, at 4:11 in the morning, Thomas Parker McNamara was born at 8 pounds, 7 ounces.
"Going into the deployment, I didn't think I was going to make it back for it, but I'm glad I did. I'm glad I was there for this," said Hunter.
Family flew in from all over the country for Parker's debut, but it was Hunter's arrival that made the picture complete for Kylene.
"It was just perfect. I was telling him it wouldn't have been the same without him," she said.
Now the two are learning how it feels to be first-time parents.
Kylene calls it, "Life-altering, in the best possible way," and for Hunter, it's "very little sleep, long hours, but it's great."
Though Hunter leaves Monday to finish the second half of his one year deployment in Kuwait, he's still holding hope to make it home for many more milestones.
"I'd like to be here for his first steps, and his first word and stuff like that, all the important stuff. I want to be here for all the important stuff," he said.
Three other soldiers from Hunter's unit made it home for their babies' births, all in the same weekend, one of them on the same day, and right down the hall at the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center.
Thomas Parker was named after Sgt. Mcnamara's full name, Thomas Hunter.
Reporter/Photographer: Sophia Stamas sstamas@kcentv.com
