A 101-year-old U.S. Army veteran was moved to tears when his blindfold was taken off and he got to see his newborn great-great-granddaughter for the very first time. The special moment was caught on camera and has since gone viral.
World War II Army Air Corps veteran Dewey Muirhead lives in Wewoka, Oklahoma, and is very close to his great-granddaughter, Lexie Fowler, 25, who lives in nearby Holdenville with her husband, Hunter Fowler, and their daughter, Millie, who was born on Dec. 11, 2023.
Six months before Millie was born, Mrs. Fowler contacted photographer Jessie Newell of Bird Nest Baby, who was overjoyed with the news.
“When I told her that I was pregnant, she immediately jumped on the fact that we needed to get Dewey in the studio for photos with Millie when she was born because this makes five generations,” Mrs. Fowler told The Epoch Times.
Ms. Newell has snapped pictures of Mrs. Fowler’s family for years and also takes pictures of veterans free of charge to preserve precious memories for their families.
To make the shoot a memorable one, Ms. Newell suggested that they blindfold Mr. Muirhead before revealing Millie.
In touching footage of the special moment, the veteran sees his great-granddaughter first, then Millie, and is quickly brought to tears when the tiny baby is placed in his outstretched hands.
“She was 6 days old when he got to meet her and hold her for the first time,” Mrs. Fowler said. “We all were just very grateful for this moment. When Dewey went to war in 1942, he didn’t know if he was even coming home to his wife, let alone be 101, meeting his first great-great-grandchild. ... actually getting to see it play out was just very heartwarming.”
Needless to say, Mr. Muirhead has been overcome with emotion ever since he saw and held Millie for the first time.
“She’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Mr. Muirhead said in an interview with The Epoch Times. “She’s a sweetie, there’s no one like her.”
The centenarian who used to dance said he’s promised to teach the little girl how to do the jitterbug.
Mrs. Fowler said that Mr. Muirhead was holding baby Millie in his arms as he spoke.
“You can hear the emotion in his voice ... He would just look down at her and shed a tear,” she said.
Ms. Newell was able to capture a series of heartwarming photos of the family’s five generations with Mr. Muirhead at the helm, followed by his daughter Marilyn Moody, her son Jason Moody, his daughter Lexie Fowler, and lastly, baby Millie.
Initially, Mrs. Fowler posted the footage on social media only for her family to see and never meant for anyone beyond their hometown to see the footage, but Mr. Muirhead’s response to meeting baby Millie soon took off, and the heartwarming clip has since touched hearts across the nation.
“When I shared it to my TikTok, and it became viral, that was the last thing I expected,” Mrs. Fowler said. “People have messaged me saying, ‘This has really lifted my spirits. I’ve lost family members, and this has helped me get through it.’ Just being able to have that reaction from people was something that was really neat for us.”
Mrs. Fowler hopes to show Millie the video and photos when she grows up.
“I just will be able to share with her what a true inspiration her great-great-grandfather was, and just being able to tell her that she has laid in the arms of a man who has fought for the freedom of our country, and being able to express to her how much she meant to him,” she said.
Mr. Muirhead was born in a Hughes County cornfield in 1922.
He sailed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth from New York to Glasgow, Scotland, in 1942 to join the war effort and worked as a cook. He returned to the United States on the same vessel in 1945 to reunite with his beloved wife, Inez.
The 101-year-old veteran claims the secret to a long and healthy life is “cornbread, milk, and fried potatoes,” and his great-granddaughter told The Epoch Times he is “doing great.”
Since the photoshoot, Mr. Muirhead has been able to spend Christmas with his great-great-grandchild. The family has also been able to visit him at his house a few times since.
“Just being able to watch him hold her is truly the most heartwarming thing ever,” Mrs. Fowler said.
In sharing their story, Mrs. Fowler intends to spread joy.
“Being 101 years old, and meeting your great-great-grandchild is truly a memorable moment, and I just hope that inspires others to connect with your family and just have that bond and be able to really just watch your family grow together,” she said.
