On guard for family and country: Bombardier dad achieves balance in his life

By Lynn Capuano, Army Public Affairs

Gagetown, New Brunswick — When baby Lincoln came into the world on January 2, 2018 in a fragile state of being, his tough Army dad, a veteran of many a hazardous military training situation, experienced a new kind of danger at a very personal level.

“When Lincoln was born he wasn't breathing or crying. It was a very emotional situation for me and my wife,” said Bombardier Chris Reese, currently Second-in-Command of the Regimental Quarters (RQ) Warehouse at the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School (RCAS) in Gagetown, New Brunswick.

“The nurses told us that with Lincoln's first breath, he inhaled meconium, which is a thick tarry substance that sits in the baby's lower intestines and may show up in the amniotic fluid. Lincoln inhaled this on his way out, and the nurses had to suction out his airway. The meconium irritated and inflamed his lungs,” said Bdr Reese.

Following a harrowing three days of uncertainty, he and his wife were finally able to hold the little newcomer for the first time. It would be 17 long days before he was placed safely in his own crib at home, welcomed by his big brother Shane, 15 and extended family.

Lincoln now thriving and Shane is a proud big brother

“Today, Lincoln is doing great, and he is one happy baby boy, thanks to the hospital staff,” he said. Lincoln was born at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, New Brunswick weighing 7 3/4 pounds.

“Shane was very…