U.S. Air Force man serving in Afghanistan cries tears of happiness as he spots his family on Scottish castle's webcam feed - by pure CHANCE

Dan Corman had just tuned into the feed from Eilean Donan Castle when his wife and children wandered into view

He knew the Highland fortress was on their spring holiday itinerary but had no idea when they were planning to visit

'I was on cloud nine,' the USAF radio technician said, adding that he went on to have his best day in Afghanistan



A serviceman was left stunned after incredibly spotting his family on a historic Scottish castle's webcam while browsing the internet 4,000 miles away in Afghanistan.

Dan Corman was surfing websites of landmarks his wife Nicole planned to visit with their two daughters when he clicked on the live webcam feed at Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Mr Corman - who had no idea when his family were due to tour the famous stronghold - had the camera running online for just two minutes when his wife and children wandered on to the screen.

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Million-to-on chance: U.S. Air Force radio technician Dan Corman's wife Nicole and daughters Avery, nine and Ansley, seven, pose for a picture after he spotted them on the webcam feed from Eilean Donan Castle

He wept with joy as Nicole and their daughters Avery, nine and seven-year-old Ansley strolled by, unaware their father was watching from his desk in the Afghan war zone.

The U.S. Air Force radio technician revealed how he nearly fell out of his chair at the incredible million-to-one chance of spotting his family from thousands of miles away at his base in Kabul.

Mr Corman, normally based at RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, has been in Afghanistan since January and is not due to return home until July.

'My daughters are real daddy's girls so they miss me almost as much as I miss them,' he said.

'They were on a ten-day spring break in April and Nicole knew she had to do something to stop the girls feeling down and get their minds off me not being home - so they planned a trip up to Scotland.

'The girls loved it and were seeing some amazing things. Each day I would look up where they were going and email them some history and fun facts about each place.

Amazing: The U.S. Air Force radio technician has revealed how he nearly fell out of his chair at the incredible million-to-one chance of spotting his family from thousands of miles away at his base in Kabul

'Wishful thinking'... come true: Mr Corman told how he'd had the webcam feed open on his desk in Kabul for just a few minutes when he spotted his wife's bright blue coat and daughters' 'unmistakable' pink jacket

'My heart was racing and I had tears in my eyes': He watched them stop and take in the view for a few seconds before frantically taking screenshots of the feed from his computer as proof to his wife he had spotted her

'I spent some time reading about Eilean Donan on tourist websites before I got to the official castle site. I saw it had a live webcam and had it up on the monitor for a couple of minutes while I finished some work around my desk.

Serviceman: Mr Corman, normally based at RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, has been in Afghanistan since January and is not due to return home until July

'It was probably just wishful thinking that maybe I might see them - I knew they were visiting but not when. That's when something caught my eye - my wife's bright blue coat.

'Then Avery walked into the frame in her unmistakable pink coat. My heart was racing and I had tears in my eyes when I realised it was them - I couldn't believe it and almost fell out of my chair.

'I actually watched them stop and take in the view for a moment when I started taking screen shots of the pictures on my computer - I knew Nicole would need proof as she wouldn't believe what had just happened.

'I was smiling from ear to ear. They walked on to the bridge and away from the webcam and I actually shouted "come back!" at the screen.

'That's when I called her mobile. She answered straight away and I just said, "you look beautiful today".

'She seemed a little confused so I explained I could see her on the site's webcam.

'It was just an incredible moment. She brought the girls back to the entrance and posed for a couple of photos for me and waved.

'I just said it was amazing to see them, I said hoped they were having fun and that I missed them so much.

'They went on to enjoy the castle and I went on to have the best day I've had since arriving in Afghanistan - I was on cloud nine.'

Mr Corman, from Florida, married Nicole, his childhood sweetheart, ten years ago, shortly after he joined the U.S. Air Force and they live in Cambridgeshire.

Visit the webcam here 'Come back!': Mr Corman admitted he was so excited he started to yell at his computer screen after his wife and children began walking out of shot to continue their visit to the historic Scottish castle

'You look beautiful today': Mrs Corman is pictured speaking on her mobile phone after her husband called her up to reveal that he could see her on the webcam feed which was being beamed 4,000 miles to Afghanistan

'It was just an incredible moment': Mrs Corman collected the youngsters to pose for pictures on the webcam and wave to their stunned father at his desk at a U.S. military base in the Afghan capital Kabul

'I was on cloud nine': Mr Corman told his wife that he hoped they were having fun and that he missed them. He added that he went on to have his best day so far since going on tour in Afghanistan in January

'We love living in Britain and are thrilled that our girls are able to experience living in such a beautiful part of the world,' he said.

'This is my first long-haul deployment so I miss my wife and girls more than I could ever have imagined.

'When I posted the photos online which I'd saved off the webcam it just went viral. I had thousands of people viewing them and so many of them left comments saying the story had touched their hearts and brought tears to their eyes.

'They've now been viewed almost 400,000 times and reading the comments means a lot to me and my family.

'We are already planning a complete family trip back to Scotland when I return later this summer.

'My girls want to take me back to Eilean Donan Castle and take a few proper family pictures this time of all four of us back together.'

The Corman family pictured on a visit to another castle: They are now planning a trip for the whole family that will include a visit to Eilean Donan when Mr Corman returns from Afghanistan later this summer

Mrs Corman, 32, said: 'When I took the phone call at the castle I was just totally floored. I really couldn't believe it.

'Dan just said, "I can see you - you look beautiful today." But I couldn't understand what he meant - he was thousands of miles away.

EILEAN DONAN CASTLE: ONE OF THE MOST MOST BEAUTIFUL SITES IN THE WORLD - WITH A RICH HISTORY

The first castle was built on the tiny island of Eilean Donan early in the 13th Century. It was intended protect the lands of Kintail against Vikings who raided, settled and controlled much of the north of Scotland and Western Isles up until around 1266.

Eilean Donan also played a role in the Jacobite risings and was destroyed in 1719 while being garrisoned by 46 Spanish soldiers supporting the Jacobites.

For almost 200 years the castle ruins lay abandoned until being bought in 1911 by Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap who in July 1932 completed his 20-year restoration project.

Eilean Donan's dramatic backdrop of sea lochs and mountains have featured in several Hollywood blockbusters - including Highlander, Loch Ness and James Bond's The World is Not Enough.

In 2004 it was ranked alongside the Taj Mahal and Grand Canyon as the world's most beautiful sights.

'He told me to get the girls and walk back towards the ticket office entrance - that's when a guy working there said there was a webcam.

'The girls just started shouting "daddy, daddy!" at the camera and waving up at him - it was a pretty emotional moment but a really happy one.

'The girls just lit up. They live for their dad and the fact he could see them was just amazing.

'I still can't believe he turned on the camera at exactly the moment we were walking by - it's incredible. Somebody said to us it was a love letter from God. Something that was just meant to be.

'Dan's been away for 93 days now and we're almost halfway through until he's back but that moment was like all four of us were back together.

'In a way we could all share a hug as a family without him actually being there.'

Mrs Corman said they visited all the main tourist attractions during their break to Scotland, including Edinburgh, Linlithgow Palace and Loch Ness.

She added: 'We had the most incredible time in Scotland and the girls are already planning a holiday back there when Dan gets home.'

Castle Keeper David Winn said the Corman's internet hook-up was a 'truly magical moment which brought a tear to my eye.'

He added: 'I was actually there when it happened and it was the most incredible moment.

'It was just amazing that he chose that exact moment to look at the webcam and see his family walk past and be able to call them.