Strangers take West Virginia man on 8-hour road trip so he can be there for his son's birth

A car driving on a road.
(Image credit: Rostislav_Sedlacek/iStock)

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.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.