When Master Sgt. Carl Holt came back to work at Winn Army Community Hospital, he had no idea he would be delivering a baby.
As he walked toward the hospital’s main entrance, he noticed a woman on the ground. His training as a soldier kicked in, and he engaged the situation.
“She was already well into childbirth,” said Holt when asked about the situation.
Holt directed other soldiers to go inside and get medical staff to help. Before the hospital clinical staff could arrive, the baby was born, and Holt removed the umbilical cord from the baby’s neck.
For Kayla and Micah Owens, this was not their first childbirth experience. They already had two other children.
“This is an experience I will never forget,” said Micah, who also assisted in the delivery.
The new baby, named Greyson, is doing well, and mother and son were discharged from the hospital with a unique story to tell.
Commenting on his involvement, Holt said, “I think anyone would have done it, I just took the initiative to hold the baby.”
Maj. Sarah Boldt, Winn’s chief of pediatrics, said, “Several of us heard the call for assistance over the intercom.”
Soon, people were rushing to the lawn where staff from pediatrics, the mother/baby unit and the emergency room responded to the situation.
When asked about how the hospital responded, the hospital commander, Col. Patrick Ahearne, said, “The way the staff responded shows our core ability to respond to an emergency in a professional manner.”
“The training of our medics and the experience gained over the past 10 years was evident in the response of the soldiers,” he said.