James Chevalier was deployed in Afghanistan for nine months, during which time his son was born.
A beautiful photo shoot in Georgia showed the moment a military dad met his 6-month-old son for the first time.
James Chevalier was deployed in Afghanistan for nine months and missed the birth of his son, Caspian. His wife, Mary, wanted to do something sweet to document his homecoming and the moment father and son met, so photographer Brittany Watson captured the moment.
“During the laboring and birthing process of Caspian, I was surrounded by family, but that did not fill the void of not having my husband by my side,” Mary told InsideEdition.com. “He was able to video chat during the labor and birth, but for both of us, it was not enough.”
On the day of his return to Atlanta in late September, Mary, Caspian, and her older son, James Gage, headed to a railway museum in the area. James Gage is obsessed with trains, but he had no idea he’d be seeing his dad again that day.
The founder of the museum offered the family a free train ride to commemorate Chevalier's return.
“The biggest tearjerker is when my 3-year-old saw my husband again,” Mary said. “[He] has been asking if his daddy would be home for his birthday from the moment he left for Afghanistan.”
The photos captured the moment the pair had their tearful reunion, as well as the tearful meeting of Chevalier and his second son.
“Caspian is natural, a very happy baby, but both James and I felt like Caspian knew who his father was almost immediately,” Mary said. “He was easily comforted by me husband right off the bat and seemed to have an instant connection. It was very emotional.”
Mary said the moment made her feel like her family was whole again.
“I can only imagine how it feels to only know your child through a phone screen,” she added.
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