When planning his trip home from Kabul, Afghanistan, to Charleston, West Virginia, Sgt. Seth Craven had no idea storms in Philadelphia would almost keep him from his son's birth.
Craven's wife, Julie, was scheduled to have a caesarian section last Friday. Craven, who serves in the West Virginia National Guard, gave himself three days to make his way to Charleston. After flying from Kabul to Kuwait to Philadelphia, Craven was in the home stretch last Wednesday, until storms in Pennsylvania canceled his flight. He scored a seat on a flight out Thursday morning, but right before takeoff, a maintenance issue was detected, and everyone had to deplane.
After several more delays, passengers were told they would have to wait until Friday morning to catch a flight to Charleston. Craven realized he wouldn't make it in time for the C-section, but his other option, driving, wouldn't work because the storms caused a run on rental cars. He told his story to a few people, and one woman, Charlene Vickers, approached. Along with two colleagues, Vickers was headed to Charleston for a program that started Friday at noon, and she couldn't be late.
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Her car was nearby, and Vickers was prepared to drive eight hours to Charleston. "I'm going to West Virginia tonight, come hell or high water," she told Craven. "So are you willing to join this crazy party of ours?" They jumped into her SUV and headed to West Virginia, with Vickers dropping Craven off at home around midnight — several hours before his son, Cooper, was delivered. "If it wasn't for Charlene, I never would have made it," Craven told Metro News. "All she wanted in return was pictures of the baby."
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