Foundation Christian Academy holds flag raising ceremony during Veterans Day program

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Operation Pride unveiled its latest American flag that will tower over Bowling Green at Foundation Christian Academy Tuesday afternoon.

“This program today really marks the beginning of our partnership, even though we’ve been working on it for a while. This flag that stands 130 feet in the air here… it’s a beautiful spot to show our pride and patriotism and of our community,” former Warren County judge executive Mike Buchanon says.

The announcement was made during FCA’s Veterans Day program, and the flag will sit on the corner of Interstate 65 and Interstate 165, welcoming visitors to Bowling Green. This is flag 13 of a planned 16 they have and plan to put up.

“It’s going to be a centerpiece of our campus. This is actually in the outfield of where our future baseball field will be, and so it’s a special time for our kids. They always enjoy honoring our veterans, and this just means so much to do it today on this occasion,” FCA president Dr. David Pahman says.

The partnership has been in the works for a while now, with Operation PRIDE choosing Foundation Christian Academy because of its proximity to both interstates.

“The fact that they’re right here, visible coming through Bowling Green and Warren County every day. There are over 25 million cars that travel I-65 and see this flag flying every day from now on. It makes a statement to the rest of the world, to people who are just coming through and the people that are visiting: we are a patriotic, proud community, and I think it makes us more attractive to people who want to stop and visit or stop and maybe consider moving here,” Buchanon, a member of Operation PRIDE, says.

Pahman says it’s important for the students to recognize those who have served, because without them, we wouldn’t have the freedoms we have today.

“Every time we look at the flag, it’s remembrance of those that have fallen and those that fought for us to protect those freedoms,” he says.

Of course, we had to ask them both what Veterans Day means to them as well.

“It’s very personal to me because of some close family members I’ve had serve in the military, and it certainly has been a memorable event every year in my life as I grew up honoring Veterans Day,” Pahman says.

“Veterans Day is a day that is set aside every year to do exactly what we should be doing every day of the year, and that’s thanking the veterans, the people who have served and sacrificed, taking time away from their family and actually taking great risks with themselves to protect our freedom over the years. The veterans of the US military have provided us the freedom that we all take for granted every day. We shouldn’t, but one day a year we should take the time to turn to a veteran and simply say thank you for your service,” Buchanon says.