Army Staff Sgt. Stephen Sutherland, 34, of West Deptford, (photo) was killed in Iraq 1½ years ago, but before he left to fight in the war, he made sure his wife would be able to have one more child — just in case.
Sutherland died November 12, 2005 in Al Qadisiyah, Iraq, when his Stryker military vehicle accidentally rolled over. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Sutherland had his sperm frozen, and now, more than a year after his death, his surviving family — including his parents in Westville, N.J., and wife and older son in Alaska — is dealing with the bittersweet birth.
\”I think that Stephen had a sixth sense telling him he needed to do this because he didn\’t think he was coming back,\” wife Maria Sutherland said.
Maria gave birth to Baby Stephen six weeks early in Anchorage, but all seems to be well and his grandparents were busy packing for a trip to visit the new baby.
\”He was great with kids, and so it\’s bittersweet,\” the fallen soldier\’s mother, Pat Sutherland said. \”But I\’m looking forward to holding him and I can\’t wait to get up there.\”
Pat and her husband, Bill, chronicled the pregnancy and birth through videos Maria sent home.
After losing his father, the couple\’s older son, Omar, was nervous about the pregnancy.
\”I\’m okay,\” Omar Sutherland, Stephen\’s older son, said. \”Scared a little bit. I\’m just worried about my mom and the baby. I want everything to be okay.\”
Despite the pain of the past, everything seems to be just that — OK.
With a new baby waiting in Alaska, the proud New Jersey grandparents leave with one thing in mind. They are a family once again.
Source: http://southjersey.com/
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