I want to be here to welcome all these new Americans and let them know they're there.

Part of our country.

Kentucky residents become American citizens just in time for Independence Day.

The only problem was nobody knew about these stories and they're amazing.

This is our home for Heroes.

The stories of those who have distinguished themselves in aviation.

On full display at a Kentucky park.

It's a home with all the comforts of home.

The new Lexington Fisher House officially opens its doors to veterans and their families.

What else is there to represent the USA other than the USA flag and meet the family who has been holding the American flag high for over 75 years?

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the Katy Endowment for Kentucky Productions, the Leonard Press, Endowment for Public Affairs and the Cette Millennium Fund.

Good evening and welcome to Kentucky Edition for Independence Day this Tuesday, July 4th.

I'm Casey Parker, Bell, filling in for Renee Shaw.

Thanks for joining us.

July 4th is known as America's birthday.

But what happened on this day in 1776 that led to the birth of our country?

Our own Toby Gibbs tells us the story begins.

Well before 1776, tensions had been building between the 13 colonies and the mother country, Great Britain, for more than a decade.

According to Carol Easterly of the Kentucky Historical Society, really the main kind of rallying cry was no taxation without representation.

The colonies did not have any representatives in Parliament, and yet the British government continued to kind of pile on more and more taxes and they really felt that that was pretty unfair and that had been going on for a while, all the way back in the 1760s.

A growing movement push for independence from Britain.

War began in 1775, though not all colonists supported the revolution.

There were those loyal to Britain and they hoped to reconcile.

Aviation was still possible.

I've read that historians estimate anywhere between 15, 20, maybe 30% of colonists were loyal to the British crown.

Some of them fled.

Some fled to Canada, where they were received and given asylum.

In Canada.

Some did take up arms with the British army.

There wasn't sort of a general uprising of loyalists and others, just tried to kind of stay out of the fray, but they would not join the colonists in their fight against the British government.

In May of 1776, almost two months before the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress passed a resolution urging the colonies to break away from Britain and form their own governments.

Massachusetts Delegate John Adams wrote the preamble to that resolution and always believed that preamble was the true Declaration of Independence.

Now, Adams, his ego and his rivalry with Jefferson might have had a little bit to do with his with his ongoing insistence.

In a sense, July 4th is not Independence Day.

The Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on July 1st.

The next day, July 2nd, 12 of the 13 colonies voted for Richard Henry Lee's motion for independence.

Delegates then spent the next two days revising the document, announcing and explaining the decision to break away from Britain, a document already being worked on by Virginia delegate Thomas Jefferson, then on July 4th, the Continental Congress adopted that document, the Declaration of Independence, with late 18th century transportation and communications slow.

It took days, even weeks, for word to spread throughout the colonies and territories beyond, including Kentucky.

It would have taken several weeks, at least for news from the eastern colonies to reach Kentucky.

These frontier settlements were still very remote.

Kentucky at this point was still part of Virginia.

The colony of Virginia.

In 1776, it became a separate county, and that was for the purpose of Defense.

The Declaration of Independence and its famous phrases All men are created equal, and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have inspired Americans for almost 250 years and people seeking freedom in other parts of the world.

Carol Easterly says the Declaration's message can still inspire unity today.

I think we're we're living through a very polarized moment right now.

But the ideals that are expressed in the Declaration of Independence is something that all Americans can get behind.

Now, certainly they're very high ideals and ones that we've never perfectly lived up to as a country.

But that doesn't mean we don't continue to try to live more fully into them, to grow into them.

We've had activists at different times in our history who've called us out and have kind of tried, you know, called us to be who we say we want to be in the Declaration of Independence.

And so I think it's kind of a beacon for us to, you know, a goal to kind of continue growing toward as a country.

For Katie, I'm Toby Gibbs.

34 people officially became US citizens last month, participating in a naturalization ceremony in Frankfurt.

We were there for that ceremony was so proudly will, and that's why much less so today we welcomed new citizens, people from all over the world who've worked very hard, learning our language, learning our laws.

It's for me, a very special day.

My own daughter is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Guatemala, so I can empathize with all the hard work it's taken to make that day happen.

I wanted to be here to welcome all these new Americans and let them know they're they're part of our country as much as anybody else.

Our country was founded by immigrants who came here in search of a better life.

There's nothing more American than coming to America to become an American.

I think this reminds us that there are so many people that work so hard to come to this country illegally.

I know there is a little immigration.

It's a problem.

Part of the reason it's a problem is we make it so hard to come here legally.

You have to wait in line.

You have to pay tens of thousands of dollars.

It's really hard to become an American.

I got a little choked up today, but it wasn't just me.

A lot of people were pretty emotional.

This is a really big deal that people are coming from around the world to be part of America, that there's a lot of concern right now with our country.

And I share it, too.

Today is a day that makes you feel really hopeful that it's going to get better.

We've got people coming from all over the world with their talents and their values, making this a better place.

Your Honor, each of the applicants for naturalization we have in the United States of America.

My great privilege to be administered the oath of allegiance so that they may be awarded the citizenship of the United States.

Each of the advocates presented an exam by an officer of U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services.

You've got to be a person of good moral character.

And that here they're attached to the principle of the Constitution.

We do these things for two reasons.

We solemnized it.

We show the people that are becoming Americans how important this is, that this is happening.

It's not something that we just mail them.

There's a whole ceremony here.

We don't just do it for our new Americans.

We do it for ourselves.

We do it to remind ourselves who are already here enjoying citizenship, that it's something that people have to, in many cases, come here and earn.

And we should reward that.

We should honor that.

It reminds us of what we're all in this together for, for liberty and equality and the pursuit of happiness.

One of.

The new US citizens were from a total of 18 countries.

Their family and friends join them to mark the occasion.

Kentucky veterans and their families now have a home away from home in Lexington.

Lexington in Fisher House, a $19 million facility located on the campus of the VA Medical Center, opened its doors in April.

We took a look inside the place where veterans and their families can stay for free while their loved ones receive care.

Three, two, one.

Oh.

How do you think someone who has given you everything, that's what veterans have done.

I have met families who have stopped by Walmart to get a a tent or blankets so that they don't know where they're going to stay, but they know they want to be there.

And so to have a house where they can come and be supported is so important.

We have 16 private suites, so it's almost 15,000 square feet.

And again, it's not a hotel.

It's not a dormitory.

It's a home with all the comforts of home.

And you can have as much privacy as you want, but you also have a built in support group because you're staying here with other families who are in similar situations.

The true secret of the Fisher House is the way families support one another.

You know, you ask how your loved one is doing.

I got a call stating that he had been injured in Iraq, and so that was in 2004.

And so I was on a plane that evening and said over to Landstuhl, Germany, and I didn't know what a Fisher House was or where I was going.

When I walked in, it felt like home.

They agreed that it would be beneficial for me to stay there with her through the recuperation period, which was about two weeks of time.

And during that process I definitely feel like it encouraged a faster healing for me.

So to be able to provide that here in Lexington is amazing.

There are times you're wondering, is this ever going to get done?

And to finally have the ribbon cutting today and then accepting families in the days and weeks to come is so gratifying.

It's a blessing for the numerous soldiers who have done so much for us to be able to provide a little bit of support for their family here at the Fisher House when they're going through a tough time.

There's a tremendous emphasis on bringing the family, the caregivers and to give a better experience for all and to give the highest quality of life to those who've served.

And that's what this is about.

There are 94 Fisher Houses in the US and Europe.

This is the second in Kentucky.

The other is located in Fort Campbell.

On this Independence Day, we salute the American heroes who protect the freedoms we hold so dear.

Patriotism is on full display at a Warren County park where you can get an up close look at historic aircraft, as Laura Rogers shows us.

It's not just the planes on full display, but the impressive stories of the aviators who flew them.

On April 16th of 1972.

I was flying at this very one and I became involved in a very intense aerial dogfight with an enemy MiG 21.

Brigadier General Dan Cherry emerged victorious from that combat mission.

Decades later, he would meet the man he shot down that day in our dogfight.

I saw him clearly and his parachute flew by him more than a couple of hundred feet.

Cherry was reunited with that MiG pilot on Live Vietnamese television in 2008, a story he would later recount in the book, My Enemy, My Friend.

We class through our hands in a very firm handshake.

And he said, Welcome to my country.

I'm glad to see that you're in good health.

And I hope that we can be friends.

They would meet again a year later for the grand opening of Aviation Heritage Park in Sherry's hometown of Bowling Green.

And for the first time in history, a fighter pilot who was shot down in combat returned to sit in the cockpit of the actual airplane that shot him down.

It is the stories of aviators like Cherry that weaves the fabric of aviation heritage park, an idea that formed 15 years ago when the plane cherry flew the F-4 Phantom was discovered near Dayton, Ohio.

It was in pretty bad shape.

It was all in one piece, thank God.

But it was really dirty.

It was nasty.

Today, the aircraft is beautifully restored.

It was the first on display and it set the tone for what was to come.

Our dream was to gather the stories of South Central Kentucky aviators, people from around this area that had made significant contributions to aviation and tell those stories through the use of artifacts.

Eight artifacts later, we have a lot of stories and they're out there on the circle of honor.

A lot of stories that are the product of a lot of hours of meticulous restoration and upkeep.

It's a lot of work.

Sometimes months, thousands of man hours and every one of these aircraft.

So when one of our visitors says, man, it looks like that thing could take off right now.

That's the point.

That is exactly the point.

The newest addition to the park will be a museum that opens this fall.

A $2 million investment that further shares the legacies of those who earned their wings.

And everybody that comes through these doors, we want them to catch their breath and see, my goodness, what an incredibly rich and important aviation heritage that we have here.

Heritage that includes Colonel Mac Reynolds from Bowling Green and served as a presidential helicopter pilot.

Colonel Mac Reynolds flew for different presidents during his time with H.M. X-1, the squadron that handles all of the presidential and VIP transport in and around Washington and wherever the president goes.

Pittsburgh hopes these impressive accolades will resonate with locals.

The park draws thousands of guests a year who admire the aircraft and read the anecdotes of the pilots who flew.

Them are so interesting.

They're so moving some.

We've had Vietnam era veterans to walk up to the Huey and cry their eyes out.

It is emotional, especially on holidays like today.

The 4th of July celebrating American pride and patriotism.

All of these aircraft come from that same idea.

Nobody's going to tell us what to do because we have the right to chart our own course.

It's a dream come true.

So we have a lot to be thankful for.

But we think we've turned this dream and this idea into a true community asset.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Laura Rogers.

It's incredible to see how these stories will maintain alive.

Aviation Heritage Park is on Three Springs Road and Bowling Green.

It's open daylight hours and admission is free.

The Park Museum are funded by private donations and fundraisers.

The city of Vanderburg is honoring our military members with special banners.

There are more than 100 at all displayed all around the town.

We're here today to celebrate mainly the veterans.

We've hung 113 banners.

We've got 50 some more to hang.

There's a couple that people that has ties to Vandenberg.

They didn't actually live in Vandenberg.

And there's veterans from all the way back to the Civil War, World War One of Korea.

They're living in some of the veterans are living, some of them over to see.

Some were killed in action.

We've not restricted it at all.

Anybody that wanted to want to participate, we let them.

Carl?

Logan.

No.

Logan.

Jack Lykins.

About a year ago or so, the city wanted to do something with the Vietnam veterans, their kids killed in action.

So I volunteered to come down and help seek out these families that don't live here anymore or they're deceased.

And we said, we've got to carry this project on because Louis County is very rich with veterans of all war.

So we thought it's a must that we carry this on.

They could just be a veteran or they could be a war veteran, but they're usually somewhere in a conflict from the 162 banners.

They represent 18 wars or conflicts, three Pearl Harbor survivors, three veterans who served in three different wars, three veterans who were P.O.W.s, 14 veterans who were killed in the Vietnam War.

Two veterans who were killed in action in World War Two and one killed in action in Korea.

I've been in office a little over four years.

This is absolutely the most positive thing that I've had feedback on.

And it's just not local feedback.

It's from different county states, even.

And we've had family that come as far as Florida.

They came from all over to see the banners.

I'm hoping that they realize what veterans means to our county and our city.

And if we're going to do what we can do to show them our appreciation here, we have a request at all times about Can you put my dad and my brother on the same pole?

Can you do this or that?

So we've actually got a grandfather, a grandson and a great grandson on the same pole.

On that pole that I'm on.

I have a brother and he's very ill.

He's a veteran and he's he's actually bad fast.

And it makes me feel good that they brought him in an ambulance to that pow and he can see the flag and they know that that's really what he's done.

God bless you.

And they families are still able to purchase the banners.

The mayor says they plan to keep the banners up as long as possible.

A Kentucky family has been selling American flags for over 75 years.

The Louisville business shares how they've grown and shares a few tips for taking care of your own American flag.

Well, we're an all service type company where we provide promotional items, flags, American flags, custom embroidery shirts, custom printed t shirts, just about everything you could put a logo on.

We actually do.

It started back in 1945 when my grandfather had gotten back from serving in World War Two.

He was impressed with how the country was all behind the service members and, you know, being that they had won the war.

And so he basically started the company from there.

So now it's still in the family.

Obviously, we're on the third generation.

The flag has a lot of history.

We've been around for a long time.

When I go to doctor's appointments and they ask what your occupation is, I always write Queen of the selling.

When I write our importing machines.

I sell flags.

I repair flags.

So banners that we print for battle banners and cloth banners that we print for all kinds of companies or schools and organizations.

But I would say my main job is writing the important telephone.

Enjoy the fact that people will take care of their flags, have them repaired, purchase new ones when they need to, and keep them flying.

There is a kind of a respectful thing that the flag gets too tattered, obviously, that needs to be taken out of service and put a new one up.

Just doesn't look very good if it's tattered, faded.

People should be more aware of the winds and storms and take the flag down.

But if they do and they will eventually start to tatter, then we provide a service where we will take the fly again and we cut off the tattered end.

Then we so put back together so it doesn't rip as easily once it's been sewn back.

But there comes a point where the flag isn't in too short.

So if the stripes are shorter than the blue field, then it just doesn't look proper.

So then there is a point and it does get some damaged and they get faded.

So then they take them out of service and they do a big flag burning ceremony.

That's how you should probably dispose of them.

I shouldn't throw them away in the trash.

That's just not respectful.

What else is there to represent the USA other than the USA flag?

You know what that is?

You know what that means.

And it's important to people.

I think a lot of people to have their American flags.

The promotional side of of oats is important, but the flag part of it, the installation of flagpoles, you know, the changing of a flag for companies that, you know, we go out and repair and change out their flags, repair their flag post.

That is is most important.

You know, the rest of the items, the printing and the sewing and the importer and all of that, it doesn't mean what flags mean what the U.S. flag means to fly those flags as you need to be aware, to protect your flag during severe weather.

They say bringing the American flag inside for protection is an important part of caring for it.

A statue in south central Kentucky celebrates a big milestone this year.

The Doughboy statue, which stands in the center of downtown Monticello, turned 100.

Doughboy is a nickname for American soldiers who fought in World War One.

And to the residents of Monticello.

The statue is much more than just a downtown fixture.

You talk about Monticello, the first thing they say is the Doughboy.

Back in August, a group of people in the community realized that this 100 year anniversary was coming up and we wanted to do something to commemorate it.

So with lots of different entities involved in it, we came up with really what I think was pretty good plan and ended up being a real good program because this is being a main fixture and Monticello for 100 years.

It's something that those of us who live here see almost daily.

I've been away from Monticello for 20 years and I come back today just for this.

And every time I come back, I don't go around the bypass.

I don't do any of that.

I come by this man because that is Monticello to me.

He is my soul.

He's protecting us.

And that's what this is all about.

It is a physical presence in hopes of thanking them for what they've done.

You know, you can say it as often as you want to, but when they can look at that and think somebody cared enough to put up a monument.

My great grandfather, Homer Alexander, is commemorated on the Doughboy.

His registration card has an X on it.

He couldn't read or write, so he did the X.

And then if you'll notice, it says his mark and then someone put his name beside of it.

My great grandfather was one of the wounded Homer Alexander on there.

But also there are men that have been killed in World War One.

This is everyone that served in the military, in the armed forces of some type.

He is them and he he is there watching over them.

And every I mean, my brother served.

My dad served.

Their names are not on there, but they recognize who this is and what this is about.

This is about every one of them.

Order of according to the National World War One museum, the term doughboy might originate from American military operations on the Mexican border.

When soldiers would find themselves coated in white adobe dust.

Adobe's quickly became known as doughboys and many were redeployed to Europe during World War One.

We thank you for joining us on this 4th of July holiday.

We hope you'll join us again tomorrow night at 630 Eastern, 530 Central for Kentucky Edition, where we inform Connect and inspire.

You can subscribe to our weekly Kentucky Edition email newsletter and watch full episodes and clips at dot org.

You can also find Kentucky Edition on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV.

Send us a story idea at Public Affairs at K E T dot org and follow us on Facebook to stay in the loop.

I'm Casey Parker Bell.

Thanks for joining us and have a great night.