CINCINNATI — On a day recognizing American independence and freedom from British rule, it's interesting what you hear when asking people what the day means to them.
We asked 5-year-old Griffin Williams, and he said, "It means nice things."
Ron Vandermolen caught our attention with his star-studded Stetson hat and constitution-covered red, white and blue shirt: "It means a lot. I mean, America's birthday."
For Fort Thomas Mayor Eric Haas, walking around the town's July 4 party, it was all about revelry.
"We are celebrating our independence, and what a great way to do that in the middle of the summer when families can be together and just celebrating our country," Haas said.
For Theodore Chinn Jr., a Carthage veteran of the Korean War, however, July 4, 2025, was more special than ones that came before.
Hear as WCPO 9 spoke to Chinn on July 4:
His friend Daine Jones gathered a few dozen of his friends and representatives of the Army and Air Force to throw him a party in recognition of the 4th and his 91st birthday.
"I feel honored. I really do," he said.
Jones invited WCPO to the party because she'd seen our continuing advocacy for veterans through the Homefront series.
She said it was important his story be told.
"We wanted to do something that would be really spectacular for him this year because this will be his last," Jones said, fighting back tears.
Chinn has been battling terminal stage four cancer for three years and has now entered hospice care.
"They've tried to treat it, and it wouldn't work," he said. "I'm a fighter, and I don't know. I have to have a good attitude. I try."
As people honored him, though, we asked Chinn what he thinks about on Independence Day.
"I honor all the other veterans that are around," he said. "They're great people."
The day means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, and it's always interesting what people say when you ask them, including a terminally ill veteran of the Korean War celebrating his birthday.
His cake read "July 7, 1934. Happy 91st Birthday, Ted. Our Hero."
"I've got a bunch of friends around. So, I'm fine," Chinn said.
