Christian Michelle Harris was born on March 17, 2018. Coincidentally, that was the same day her father’s “brothers” returned from Afghanistan.
Christian’s father, U.S. Army Specialist Chris Harris, was killed last August after a suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy. One week before his death, his wife, Britt Harris, called Chris to tell him she was pregnant. Chris’ “brothers” from the “Devil Brigade” — the 2nd Battalion, 504th Infanty Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82 Airborne Division —made sure Harris did not go through pregnancy milestones alone.
When Britt found out the sex of her baby, she sent the troops confetti poppers so they could have their own gender reveal: “We are happy to welcome the new member of our company,” soldier Joel Crunk wrote after posting the video of the troops celebrating. Now that Christian has been born and the troops are home, the “family” got together for a professional photo shoot at Cape Fear Botanical Garden. Nearly 20 men showed up for the pictures, some of whom had survived the explosion that cost Harris’ life. Christian dressed for the occasion, wearing a special onesie that read “My Daddy, my hero” and wearing her father’s dog tags.
“Knowing that we could come home to a baby girl, that was awesome,” said Sgt. Nathan Arthur Bagley in an interview to ABC 11. “When everyone came home, that was the day she was born so that made it ten times better.”
Britt was grateful for the men’s efforts and hoped the pictures would one day show Christian how much her father’s “brothers” loved him — and now his daughter.
“They’ve been a part of her life before she was even born, and I know they’re going to be around for the rest of her life,” Harris told CNN. “No matter where the Army takes them all, I will be able to show Christian how they all came together for her.”