The baby girl of a fallen U.S. Army soldier who was killed in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber attacked the NATO convoy he was travelling in, has met her father’s ‘brothers’ for the first time.
U.S. Army Specialist Chris Harris was killed last August but just one week earlier, he found out that his wife, Britt, was expecting their first child.
She broke the good news to her husband over FaceTime and created a handmade onesie that said ‘Chris you’re going to be a DAD!’
The baby girl of a fallen U.S. Army soldier who was killed in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber attacked the NATO convoy he was travelling in, has met her father’s ‘brothers’ for the first time
Daughter of SPC Christopher M Harris, who was killed in action last August, held lovingly in her mother, Britt’s arms and supported by members of the 82nd Airborne.
Powerful images of the soldiers cradling little Christian in their arms while the brave men and women who fought alongside her husband in Afghanistan lend a helping hand
Britt Harris’s husband Chris was killed while on deployment in Afghanistan. Her husband’s fellow soldiers have met baby Christian for the first time
Britt has been posting pictures of baby daughter, Christian Michelle Harris, on her Instagram
Specialist Harris (left), of Jackson Springs, North Carolina, had just moved into a new home with his wife Britt (right), with whom he was expecting his first child when he was killed
Specialist Christopher Michael Harris found out he was going to be a father just days before his death
Britt gave birth to the baby girl on March 17, 2018 and named her daughters after Chris: Christian Michelle Harris.
Spec. Harris considered his fellow soldiers to be a part of his extended family and his wife wanted them to share in some of her happiness.
Britt organised a special trip for her husband’s fellow soldiers, who got back home on from Afghanistan on the day Christian was born.
A special photoshoot was then arranged for them to meet Britt’s daughter for the first time.
Around 20 men from the 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82 Airborne Division, showed up to the shoot to celebrate Christian, dressed in their military uniforms.
Harris’ widow, Britt, scheduled a photo shoot with the men and women her husband bravely fought beside
Britt gave birth to the baby girl on March 17, 2018. She named her after Chris: Christian Michelle Harris
Britt invited her husband’s fellow soldiers, who were home from Afghanistan, to join her daughter’s photo shoot
Around 20 men from the 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82 Airborne Division, showed up to the shoot to celebrate Christian, dressed in military uniform
Britt has spent time with her husbands ‘brothers’ at the 82nd Airborne Division
Brig. Gen. Michael E. Kurilla heads the 82nd Airborne Division and enjoyed meeting Christian
U.S. Army Spc. Christopher ‘Chris Harris, 25, was killed August 2, by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan
‘He was so happy to hear I was pregnant and I want our child to grow up knowing what an incredible force their father carried throughout life,’ Britt Harris said of her heroic husband
‘It’s refreshing to see those blue eyes again,’ Britt said of finally meeting her daugter Christian
Britt is seen at her husband’s grave on Memorial Day
They held the tiny baby and posed for the photographer. Christian wore a special onesie for the occasion: ‘My Daddy, my hero’ it read.
In one beautiful photo, the men formed a circle with their palms in the center. Resting in the middle of their hands, Christian lay looking up at the camera.
‘Sometimes all we need to soothe our soul and ease our burdens is the loving hand of a friend gently touching our heart and lifting us towards love,’ the caption read.
The gesture is the latest in a number of acknowledgements Harris has paid to her husband’s fellow servicemen.
‘Everything I do, I do it to preserve Chris’ memory and to show Christian how special she is,’ Brittany Harris said of her daughter. ‘I’m just the only one that can speak for them both right now. I do everything I can to make sure they both get the recognition they deserve. Him for sacrificing his life for his country and her for being the legacy of a hero.’
As fate would have it, the infant even bears a striking resemblance to her late father — her icy blue eyes, in particular.
‘It’s refreshing to see those blue eyes again,’ Britt said.
When she first announced her pregnancy, she ended up having a gender reveal especially for his colleagues and sent a box of confetti poppers when she found out the sex of her baby.
When the troops popped them open, pink confetti flew out and her husband’s ‘brothers’ were just as excited for her as her real family.
‘They have been phenomenal and done everything they can to watch over me even from a distance,’ she told WFMY.
Britt says she now has a mission of her own to make sure her ‘little miracle princess’ grows up knowing all about her dad. ‘I want her to know that she’s her dad’s legacy,’ she said.
Britt has said that she will make sure Christian’s father is remembered hence the onesie, ‘My daddy’s my hero’
Harris’ unit traveled to his hometown in Jackson Springs, North Carolina, on March 17 to help his wife commemorate the birth of their daughter
Harris’s memory is remembered all over Britt’s house with his boots and hat on display
Britt Harris, gave birth on March 17 and named her daughter after Chris: Christian Michelle Harris. His unit gathered to celebrate the birth
Britt looks to be coping well with the first few months of being a mother
In late January Harris hired Pinehurst Photography to do a maternity shoot along the French Broad River in Asheville, North Carolina and the results are simply stunning
In January of this year, determined to capture her pregnancy in all its glory, Britt decided to have a photo shoot that involved her dressing in a striking red dress while wandering among nature in the North Carolina countryside.
The pictures revealed a deep yearning while displaying a remarkable positivity that knowing that out of such terrible heartache, a new life was set to emerge.
Britt could be seen holding and stroking her baby bump as she pondered the life she shared with her husband
She said her husband’s fellow the soldiers have been there for her every step of the way.
Harris ended up naming her daughter Christian Michelle for her late dad, Christopher Michael