GULF War soldier Carl Coucill has told how he burst into tears when he first set eyes on his newborn son.

The 32-year-old gazed lovingly at his tiny bundle of joy and confessed: "This is the best day of my life. He is truly wonderful."

Carl, of Dixon Green Drive, Farnworth, was flown home from Iraq by the Army on emergency compassionate grounds after welfare officers learned he had become a father for the first time.

As reported exclusively in Tuesday's Bolton Evening News, his wife, Kim, gave birth to a 71b 7oz boy -- named Flynn -- at the weekend as Carl was serving with the 6th Supply Regiment of the Royal Logistics Corps serving on the Iraq/Kuwait border.

And ironically Carl caught his first glimpse of Flynn before he arrived home.

He stopped at a friend's newsagent's shop to buy a present for Kim and was shown the front page of the Bolton Evening News featuring his son's photograph.

"I couldn't believe Flynn was on the front page," said Carl. "But I can see it's happy news. For me Flynn is the best story ever."

Carl arrived home early on Wednesday morning for a tearful reunion with Kim on the doorstep.

The couple hugged before he tiptoed upstairs for his first glimpse of his sleeping son.

Recalling his feelings later he said: "I just sat on the bed and stared at him.

"I wanted to get hold of him but he was asleep and I was terrified of handling him anyway. He looked so fragile."

Carl, a Farnworth born former pupil of St James's CE School, joined the Army at 17.

He left three years ago but remained a reservist -- meaning he could be called up in emergency situations -- after he started work at the Chloride plant at Over Hulton.

The couple, who married three years ago, had been looking forward to the birth of their first child, but earlier this year their plans were thrown into turmoil when he was called up.

Carl, whose job in the Gulf was to keep the army supply lines moving, arrived in Kuwait on February 27 but kept in phone contact with Kim. In a call last Saturday Carl realised his baby was on the way.

Carl said: "Kim said she was waiting for her mother and told me to ring back later."

After a sleepless night at Camp Coyote, 15 miles from Iraq, Carl rang home the next day but could not get through to Kim, who was in the maternity unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

He eventually rang his mother-in-law who broke the news to him that he was a dad.

The Army then stepped in to reunite the family. And hours later Carl was on his way.