Washington, Nov. 22: When Rebekah Sandelin’s husband, a US army soldier, returned from his latest tour of duty in West Asia at the end of last year, the young couple was understandably “happy to see each other”.

Eight months later, in August, the heavily pregnant Rebekah began to notice that the military base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where her husband is based, and the neighbouring town of Fayetteville were overrun with new and expectant mothers.

Nature had taken its course when the legendary 82nd Airborne Division began returning home from Iraq, along with special operations, and the result is a baby boom, which has left hospitals straining to cope not with combat casualties but bouncing newborn infants.