Soldier's Wife Gives Birth Days After his Death

(Columbia)- The family of a Barnwell County soldier killed in Iraq is celebrating the birth of his child.

Army Warrant Officer Jason Garth DeFrenn died Friday after his helicopter came under enemy fire, according to his father.

?Al Qaeda took a missile and shot it at my son?s helicopter,? explained Garth DeFrenn. ?It exploded and went to the ground. ?

DeFrenn says his son was scheduled to arrive home next week, just in time for the birth of his son. ?When they came and told Jenny that Jason had died, it was a devastating moment,? he said. ?It put Jenny in shock. She had a lot of complications.?

DeFrenn says doctors induced labor Monday, and his daughter-in-law gave birth to a healthy baby boy Tuesday afternoon. ?I was at the head of the bed,? he said. ?I tried to be there for her, and do the same thing my son might have done.?

The baby, weighing 8 pounds and 9 ounces, was named Christopher. ?We?ve had a death, and we?ve had a renewal of life,? said DeFrenn. ?He?s a healing baby.?

DeFrenn says his son will be buried in his hometown, but arrangements have not been finalized. He says the Army will award Jason a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service.

?He believed in what he was doing,? explained DeFrenn. ?There?s nothing greater a man can do than lay down his life for someone else. That?s why Jason finally did.?