By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Justin and Christi Weber sit with their newborn daughter Emma in their Middletown home. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

MIDDLETOWN - Some 6,400 miles away from home, Justin Weber's hands dutifully took care of the war dead. All the while, his heart stayed close to his young wife and the new life she carried inside her.

"I was praying every night that I would get home for the birth," he said. "And I got here just in time."

Weber celebrates a special Father's Day today. His first child, Emma Gaylin Weber, was born at Middletown Regional Hospital on May 30 - nine days after his return from duty in Iraq.

Among 75,000 U.S. Marines "in theater," just 33 Marines, including Weber, were assigned solely to recover, identify and prepare bodies for transport to loved ones.

"When people ask me, 'What did you do over there?' and I say, 'Mortuary Affairs,' they always say, 'Ugh,' " Weber said. "But, hey, it's a job that has to be done over there. You can't have a war without death."

Weber speaks with the insight of a much older man, but lives with the exuberance of a youngster - testimonials to the dark sorrows and luminous joys woven into his life's tapestry.

"Justin's an amazing kid. He's experienced more in his 24 years than most people do in a lifetime - or never," said Andy Willis, an investigator for the Butler County Coroner's Office, where Weber works part time.

Weber's mother, Lisa, was slain in a 1998 attack that Weber tried to thwart; her ex-boyfriend was convicted. Then Weber took a job as a transporter for coroner's cases.

"He sees so much that most other people would never want to see," Willis said. "Now, he goes from being around death and destruction in the war to catching a long flight home and seeing his baby be born - that's a lot to put on your plate in a week and a half."

Last week, days after the couple's first wedding anniversary, his wife, Christi, cradled the baby on the couch in their Middletown apartment as her husband recounted lessons he learned at war - and upon his return home.

Weber, who went on active duty in January, said he was able to handle gruesome wartime tasks because of his coroner's office job and because of his training.

"The Marine Corps trains you so well that you're ready for anything," he said.

But the work was a constant reminder of his own mortality.

"It's the realization that they're wearing the same uniform as you, and you know it only takes one bullet to kill you, too," he said. "You have to keep in mind that there's nothing you can do to help them now, except help get their remains back to their families."

One thing he wasn't prepared for was the extreme poverty of the southern Iraqis. At times, Weber didn't eat much because he gave away so many of his vacuum-packaged MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) to Iraqi children who would beg for food.

His interaction with an Iraqi farmer who invited him into his home left a lasting impression.

"When you're there in his house made of mud bricks, realizing that he sleeps on a rug here on his dirt floor, it makes you respect what you have back home so much more," Weber said.

In mid-April, as the war was winding down, Weber and his unit were flown to Kuwait, where they waited for orders to return home.

When tests on the Webers' developing baby showed low amniotic fluid and a slow growth rate, the American Red Cross sent an emergency message. Weber was sent home on special leave May 20.

Upon his arrival May 21 at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Weber spotted his wife near the baggage claim. As the pair drew nearer, "The first thing I noticed was her big old belly - and she had a grin from ear to ear," Weber said.

The couple went to a Covington restaurant for lunch. There, Christi repeatedly insisted, "Tell me another story!"

A woman at an adjacent table overheard their conversation. Without the Webers noticing, the woman picked up their check, paid the $26.77 tab with her MasterCard and wrote a note: "Thank you both for your sacrifices."

They saved the receipt as a keepsake.

Just as Weber felt he was beginning to get reacquainted with his wife, doctors became concerned enough about Emma that they induced labor three weeks early. She arrived at 7:27 p.m. May 30, 19 inches long and 6 pounds, 2 ounces - and healthy, despite doctors' worries.

"That was the happiest moment of my life," Weber said. "I made it back alive, and I got to see my daughter being born. That was what I was hoping for the whole time I was over there.

"I went from one extreme to the next, having to deal with all the death, and then coming home and having this new life."

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E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com