Breaking Christian News

Fallen Soldier Honored in Emotional Photo of Newborn Daughter with His Army Buddies

Kayla Root : Jun 7, 2018
CBN News

"We wanted to document their sadness, for Christian, and then document the light. Our job was to tell the world about a hero and his beautiful legacy and about a mother whose grief didn't break her, but turned her into fire." -Photographer Kendra Lee

[CBN News] Army Specialist Christopher Michael Harris was killed in action while deployed in Afghanistan in August 2017, just one week after learning his wife was pregnant. Now, photos of their newborn daughter pictured in the arms of his 'army brothers' are sweeping the internet tugging on heartstrings. (Photo: Baby Christian with soldiers/Credit: Pinehurst Photography-Facebook/via CBN News)

It's been an emotional year for widow Britt Harris who has suffered the loss of her husband and celebrated the birth of her daughter, Christian Michelle, born on March 17.

But she hasn't had to go through it alone, with her every step of the way—her fallen husband's army unit, the 82 Airborne Division.

Images of the soldiers in uniform holding baby Christian wearing her father's dog tags and a onesie that reads "My Daddy's My Hero" have gone viral in a moving display of the sacrifices made by military members.

"I wanted to let everyone meet Christian together," Harris told CNN.

Adding, "They've been a part of her life before she was even born, and I know they're going to be around for the rest of her life. No matter where the Army takes them all, I will be able to show Christian how they all came together for her."

Back in October, the soldiers also took part in Harris' gender reveal, shooting tubes of pink confetti into the air at their base in Afghanistan.

One of the photographers behind the newborn photo, Kendra Lee with Pinehurst Photography, said she never expected it to get so much attention and had only set out to tell the family's beautiful story. (Photo credit: Pinehurst Photography/via Go Fund Me)

"This true American tale pulls at our hearts and fills them with grief, hope, and love all at the very same second," Lee wrote on Facebook.

She continued, "We wanted to document their sadness, for Christian, and then document the light. Our job was to tell the world about a hero and his beautiful legacy and about a mother whose grief didn't break her, but turned her into fire."

Lee also started a GoFundMe for baby Christian to set up "a savings (529) account for this precious little one as well as assistance for bills, formula, and all of the things little people require."