Army veteran, 101, shares emotional first meeting with great-great-granddaughter
Dewey Muirhead of Oklahoma and his great-great-granddaughter, Millie Fowler, were captured on video as they met for the first time.
Tears flowed from the eyes of a 101-year-old World War II veteran who met his great-great-grandchild for the first time — a moment that was captured in a touching video that has received over 6 million views on TikTok.
"To me, he is the definition of a true American hero," Lexie Fowler, 25, of Asher, Oklahoma, told Fox News Digital about her great-grandfather, Dewey Muirhead.
"Just to be able to watch your great-grandfather hold your own child is something I'll never forget. A lot of people don't get to have that opportunity and we are very fortunate for it."
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Fowler and her husband, Hunter, had scheduled a newborn photo session when their photographer suggested including Muirhead, a veteran of the Army Air Corps. He served during WWII and lives in nearby Wewoka, Oklahoma.
"Our photographer takes pictures of veterans free of charge and my great-grandfather is very near and dear to her," Fowler said.
Dewey Muirhead and his great-great-granddaughter, Millie Fowler, were captured on video and in photographs as they met for the first time. (Jessie Newell)
"When I told her that I was having a baby, she immediately jumped on it and said, ‘We have to get photos with your great-grandpa because this makes five generations.'"
They started off the photo session by blindfolding Muirhead.
"The reason we blindfolded him is so that we could kind of get next to him and get his full reaction," Fowler said.
These photos are of Lexie Fowler (left) and her husband Hunter Fowler (standing) with their daughter Millie Fowler and Millie’s great-great-grandfather, Dewey Muirhead. (Jessie Newell)
"So we sat down next to him and took his blindfold off and that's when he looked over and got to meet Millie," she added.
Muirhead’s reaction is palpable as he turns his head to see his great-great-granddaughter, Millie Fowler, for the first time (See the video at the top of this article).
"Sweetie," Muirhead says as he reaches out and gives the baby girl a kiss.
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"What in the world are you doing? … Oh, isn’t she pretty? Look at her."
As Fowler places her baby in her great-grandfather’s arms, his voice cracks with emotion as he wipes away tears.
Lexie Fowler and her husband Hunter Fowler pose with their daughter Millie Fowler as Millie’s great-great-grandfather, Dewey Muirhead, gives the baby a kiss on the cheek. (Jessie Newell)
"It was honestly the coolest experience," Fowler said.
"Watching my great-grandfather cradle her in his arms — and she was just soothed. It's almost like that's what he has long held on for, for so long."
Muirhead served in the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945, Fowler said.
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He was stationed in Germany, France and Belgium.
A World War II veteran went viral after his great-granddaughter surprised him with the birth of his great-great-granddaughter. The special family meeting was shared on TikTok. ( Lexie Fowler)
He married his wife, Inez, before he left for the war.
They were married for 79 years; she passed away in 2021.
"He’s been through more than I can imagine," Fowler said.
"I'm sure when he went to war, he didn't even know if he would make it back home to his wife, let alone meet his great-great-grandchild. This is the first great-great-grandchild [in the family], so it was very, very special for him. There's a photograph where he's holding her and you can just see the look in his eyes, and he's got tears."
Fowler said her great-grandfather is surrounded by family and receives some assistance from the Veterans Administration, but is also very independent.
Dewey Muirhead, 101, served in the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945. He and his family went viral on TikTok after the moment he met his great-great grandchild was shared with the world. (Jessie Newell)
"My grandparents actually live about 10 minutes from him and then he has a son that also lives there as well, but he does live on his own," Fowler said.
"He still gets up and makes his breakfast, eats his lunch, and he's in bed before the sun goes down, I think."
Dewey Muirhead (Lexie Fowler’s great-grandfather), Marilyn Moody (Lexie Fowler's grandmother), Jason Moody (Lexie Fowler’s father) and baby Millie Fowler are pictured in a family photo on the day Muirhead, a WWII Army vet, met his great-great-granddaughter, Millie. (Jessie Newell)
Fowler said her family was not expecting such worldwide attention when they made the video and shared it with their local news station.
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"The reason we recorded it was so we can show it to Millie some day," Fowler said.
Muirhead was surprised by his family with the birth of his great-great-granddaughter, whom he's shown holding in his arms. More than 6 million people witnessed the moments shared on TikTok. (Jessie Newell)
"But if I could just spread one message to anyone, it would be to cherish those moments with your family and that God is very good for allowing us to give this opportunity to him and our family — and be able to spread it across the whole world."
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"This is something we will cherish forever," Fowler added.
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