HARTFORD, Conn. -- A Marine stationed in Baharia, Iraq, met his newborn daughter this morning through the efforts of St. Francis Hospital and the Freedom Calls Foundation.

The foundation built a satellite network to keep families connected because of the limited Internet infrastructure in Iraq.

Cpl. Brandon Hotard was deployed months ago. Wednesday’s video conference was the first time the family of three was able to be together. Hotard travels across the war zone from Baharia to Fallujah to speak with his family because the military doesn’t offer the type of video conferencing that Freedom Calls enables.

"I'm so thankful that Saint Francis Hospital stepped up to help us in our time of need,” said new mom Mariela. “I thought I'd be having this baby alone and could never have imagined that my husband could be here to meet the baby when he is 8,000 miles away fighting a war. This means the world to me and my family."

Freedom Calls will arrange for the Hotards to video conference three times a month from their home.

The family video conferences are being conducted over the satellite network that Freedom Calls has built in cooperation with the Army and Marines to serve U.S. deployed military personnel and their families 24 hours per day, free of charge. It is funded 100 percent by donations from the public.