LI Marine will come home to see his premature baby

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Keith Wagenhauser, originally denied emergency leave to see his firstborn after the baby girl was born more than two months prematurely, is coming home.

A spokesman for Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), one of several New York lawmakers who appealed to the Marines to allow the Middle Island native to return to his family, said Wagenhauser is expected to arrive on Long Island late Tuesday.

"I didn't know if I was going to cry or scream when he called to let me know," said Wagenhauser's wife, Cristal, who learned of her husband's pending return when he called from abroad late Sunday. "The connection was scratchy, but it sounded like he was excited. He told me he was ecstatic."

The infant, Madison Rose, weighed 2 pounds, 11 ounces when she born nearly 10 weeks early at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown on Oct. 3. Doctors considered her condition so precarious that she was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit at Stony Brook University Medical Center, where she continues to receive assistance with breathing.

>>VIDEO: Click here to see baby Madison and his wife, Cristal talking about the toll on their new family.

Capt. Clark Carpenter, of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in which Wagenhauser serves, said Wagenhauser's command had initially refused Wagenhauser's leave because it had been informed that the infant's prognosis was "excellent." He said Wagenhauser's commander reversed that decision "based on updated information" from the baby's physician, which was relayed by the American Red Cross over the weekend.

"The commander does not balance his decision against media attention or outside intervention," Carpenter said in an e-mail.

Military officials had initially resisted allowing the Marine, who is assigned to an overseas shipboard unit that stands ready to back up troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, to return home before his deployment's scheduled end this winter. They would not specify exactly where the ship is based.

Carpenter told Newsday last week that personnel are typically granted emergency leave only in cases of imminent or actual death in their immediate family.

He said since the unit deployed May 15 to its undisclosed overseas location, 16 Marines have been notified of the birth of a child. He said none has been granted leave.

The couple's story brought an outpouring of concern from other Long Island residents, including a U.S. Army National Guard soldier whose child was born prematurely last year. The guardsman, who lives a short distance from where Cristal Wagenhauser has been staying with family in Lindenhurst, offered to lend assistance.

Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) urged the Marines to reconsider their decision on humanitarian grounds.

"I want to personally thank the U.S. Marine Corps Senate Liaison for their swift response to our request," Schumer said in a statement. "They went above and beyond to ensure Cpl. Wagenhauser made it home and can now be reunited with his family during this difficult time."

With John Valenti

>>PHOTOS: Click here to see photos of Marine Lance Cpl. Keith Wagenhauser and his family

>>MORE COVERAGE: Click to read "Marine denied leave to see premature baby daughter" and "LIers show concern for Marine denied leave"