In July 1968, while Army Pfc. Milford Wayne Edwards served in Phu Bai and 1st Lt. Dennis Leon Rainwater was stationed in Phan Thiet, both more than 8,000 miles from home, their daughters were born in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
Dena Michele Edwards and Denise Lynne Rainwater arrived into a world where their fathers were thousands of miles away, serving in the Vietnam War.
That same month, Army medic Danny Claude Whitehead, deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division, also became a father to a baby boy, Brandon Wade Whitehead.
Photos capturing these tender beginnings were taken by Oklahoma City Times photographer Jack Hammett and published in the summer of 1968. One touching caption read:
These “special appearances” by three little troupers at Midwest City Memorial Hospital should be able to keep some other troops (their fathers) cheered until they come home from Vietnam.
The images show proud mothers beaming as they held their newborns, fully aware it might be months — or even a year — before the fathers would meet their children.
Hammett’s portraits captured a powerful contrast: new life beginning at home while soldiers faced the uncertainty of war abroad — a poignant reminder of the quiet sacrifices made by military families.
Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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