Deployed airman finally meets new son

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RAPID CITY (AP) – A South Dakota airman who spent 7 months serving in South Korea has returned home to meet his newborn son for the first time.

Staff Sgt. Benjamin Fedrick says a wave of emotion came over him when he got to hold his youngest son, Everett, Saturday at the Rapid City Regional Airport.

Fedrick says he stayed up for 36 hours in South Korea waiting for the phone call about his son's birth, but he says actually holding him is amazing. Fedrick will return to South Korea in a few weeks to finish his year-long tour.

Fedrick tells KOTA-TV missing his son's birth wasn't ideal, but duty to country came first. He says it's part of the job so his children can have a bright future.