you're right, the skies were lit up tonight, and it's still not over yet. many of our areas still seeing plenty of rain and thunder and lightning. let's begin with a look at trueview. look at the lightning strikes in this. unbelievable. the storms had been fairly strong as they moved across the area. as i pulled this up a little bit, you can see this entire region to the south of the d.c. metro region and heading to the southeast, still full of plenty of storms, lightning and lots of heavy rainfall as well. a quick look at radar, and you can see the area shaded in yellow is where we have a severe thunderstorm watch. this is our live doppler radar. and still dealing with a fair amount of areas with a lot of heavy rainfall. along the i-95 corridor, plenty of rainfall there and strong storms as well. let's go to our weather maps. this is where we have a severe thunderstorm watch until midnight tonight. we're keeping our eyes to the skies. tomorrow looks like we'll have improvement for many of you, but some will still see activity. will, back to you. thank you. arlington took major hits from the storms tonight. fox five's crews chasing down some of the reports of damage. let's continue with bob varner joining us live from arlington. >> reporter: it's been a rough night and it will be no vacation tomorrow. what's behind me is an ple of what we've seen around arlington tonight. this is rock spring road. it is closed because power lines are down, trees are down. 21,000 people in northern virginia without power now, according to virginia dominion. it came and went, the storm, quickly tonight. but it left its mark. it's all hands on deck in front of will and ellen anthony's house on north 26th street in arlington. >> i'm from texas, originally. i've seen tornadoes before. this looked like tornado winds. i told my wife to get to the basement. i heard thump, thump, like branches hitting the roof. we hung out in the basement. we came out and all this was down here covering half the street, three-quarters of the street. we're trying to clear the street. >> reporter: around the corner north wakefield street is impassable. trees down all over the place. the back yard of a family out of town, a whopper of a tree landed on the house. substantial roof damage here. over there, that's a chunk of earth uprooted by a fallen tree. >> looked like a microburst touched down and went, i guess, east maybe about a mile or two through country club hills and tore up a lot of trees. >> reporter: chris is a tree expert surveying the damage. it will be a busy night for his crew. >> we're going to start gearing up now and we'll be out tonight and probably first thing tomorrow morning. >> reporter: as the storm was approaching the area, police evacuated the national mall. >> i grew up in wyoming. when they say thunderstorm, i don't mess around with that. i don't want to be the tallest thing on an open field. i moved to d.c. and was looking forward to this. there's always next year. >> reporter: thousands had shown up for tonight's dress rehearsal for the 4th concert. >> disappointed. >> reporter: did you have a good seat? >> i did. this is our yearly tradition to come down the night before. it's a washington tradition. without the tourists. >> reporter: the skies darkened, lightning flashed, the wind started howling. mall goers started running for cover. from the safety of our live truck, we rode out the worst of the storm. it was a pounding rain, intense for nearly half an hour. in the city, we saw this traffic light knocked down. later, outside jane olmsted's home in arlington, tree branches. inside, no power. >> i heard and felt the top of that tree going, and i was in my kitchen where that big window is. i hot footed it into the hall as fast as i could go. and it missed my car. >> reporter: a night of fireworks this year on the 3rd of july. >> reporter: back live showing you one of the examples of power issues. as for the dress rehearsal for the concert, it went on as planned. but without an audience. capitol police trying to close the west front of the u.s. capitol tonight as a precaution because of the uncertain weather. >> don't want to take chances. bob barnard thank you. a fire at a church sent one firefighter to the hospital and caused thousands of dollars in damage. the firefighter was hurt battling the flames here in marvin chapel methodist church. flames were seen shooting through the roof when emergency crews arrived. they believe a lightning strike is responsible for starting the fire. we spoke with several people who said yes, our church is small, but has a large impact in the community. >> i'm hoping that we will rebuild, and serve the community. and i'm sure we will. we don't giver up easily. >> marvin chapel methodist church has a new pastor. the church members were supposed to meet him today. detectives in montgomery county investigating the death of a 28-year-old man. police say justin carter was assaulted at a family get together last night. a 24-year-old is charged with second degree murder in that case. jurors heard closing arguments in the casey anthony murder trial today. they're expected to begin deliberating tomorrow. we're going indepth in a live one-on-one in just a moment. >> she chose to sacrifice her child and live the life she wanted. >> reporter: after more than a month of testimony, with about 100 witnesses and over 400 pieces of evidence, the jury hears closing arguments in the casey anthony murder trial. the 25-year-old suspect breaks down crying as a prosecutor calls her a liar who murdered her 2-year-old daughter, caylee. jeff ashton says casey used chloroform to make her child fall asleep and suffocated her with duct tape. she allegedly hit the body in the trunk of her car several days, until it began to smell, before dumping in a wooded area near their home. >> she died because her mother decided the life she wanted was more important. this murder was premeditated, and the defendant is guilty. >> reporter: but defense attorneys are painting a different story. they claim caylee accidently drowned in the family pool. rather than call 911, they say casey and her father, george anthony, engaged in a coverup to make the death look like the result of a kidnapping. >> if this prosecution would raise the level of desperation to make up for their lack of evidence. >> reporter: casey's attorney tried to show jurors high school photos of an innocent looking girl, but the judge didn't allow it saying it quote, distorts reality. he did allow a picture of her when she was 22. the judge warned both ashton and baez. ashton smiled behind his hand when baez said the prosecution's evidence was based on fantasy and baez referred to ashton as this laughing guy. >> approach the bench. that response on behalf of mr. ashton and mr. baez violates this court's order. >> defense attorney bernie grim is joining us now with insight into the case. good to see you. >> how are you doing? >> good, thank you. the defense attorney, jose baez did something that may have surprised a lot of people, it certainly surprised me. he called his client a no good lying slut. was this an attempt to acknowledge the gorilla in the courtroom and remind the jury you don't have to like casey, but it doesn't make her guilty of murder? >> sure. he's trying to lend credibility with the jury. no reasonable person can sit in is there and after all the lies this woman has told back and forth, say, and my client is pure as the driven snow. he has to acknowledge at a minimum, she's a liar but not a murderer. >> today she was seen crying as we're seeing in the video here. >> trials as you know can be very emotional and i think everyone's emotions, the lawyers included, hit full tilt today, because the defendant broke down. then the lawyers started to spar. >> we heard that as well. the defense is really pushing this drowning theory. they showed pictures to the jury today of caylee opening up a sliding glass door at home, shots of her in the pool with grandma. do you think that was effective? >> you know, jurors, believe it or not, as much as lawyers love to talk, and i'm the biggest one -- >> you could paid to do that. >> jurors are very -- people are visual. they love to see pictures. when you see that picture, can you imagine that little girl falling in the pool hitting her head and going unconscious and this process -- >> perhaps leads the jury down that path. >> correct. >> two more quick questions. the judge wouldn't allow the defense to show that photo of casey anthony that was about 10 years old. i suppose that doesn't surprise you. >> no. it wasn't admissible. you can't inflame the passions of the jury. >> guilty verdict on the most serious murder charge for casey anthony or not? what's your call? >> my feeling is, if you press me into a corner now guilt, but no death. >> bernie grimm, defense attorney, friend of fox five. thank you for coming in. >> thanks, will. another republican hopeful is making a run for the white house. why this congressman says he is the one to fix what's wrong with america. and mixed emotions in france over the future of former imf chief, dominick strauss-kahn. is a little comeback in his future? the poll numbers might surprise you. the kincaids live here. across the street, the padillas. ben and his family live here, too. ben's a re/max agent and he's a big part of this community. there are lots of reasons why re/max agents average more sales than other agents. experience, certainly. but maybe it's also because they care about the markets they serve and the neighbors who rely on them. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. r r lt another republican is throwing his hat into the presidential ring. michigan congressman thaddeus mckotter made the announcement yesterday in detroit. some say he is a long shot, but he says he has an edge the others don't. >> i think it's about the message, and i think it's about the experience here in michigan. what we've gone through, what we continue to face and what we hope to spare the rest of the country by getting it right, too. >> he was just elected to his fifth consecutive term in congress in november. congress is cutting short it's holiday week to continue working on the debt ceiling. the parties are still far apart and state governors who have managed to make budget cuts are weighing in on the problems with washington. fox five's money reporter melanie alnwick has our sunday talk show roundup. >> reporter: after the fireworks on the national mall, it will be back to the fireworks on capitol hill, as lawmakers try to forge a compromise on raising the debt ceiling. on face the nation, state leaders who have had to make these cuts have little sympathy for washington. >> we're making changes, having the courage to make the changes, unlike washington. >> i think washington has its head in the sand. >> democrats won't address entitlements, medicare, and social security, and republicans don't want to talk about revenues or defense spending. the fact is, we've got to do all of that. >> they ought to submit their resignations, frankly, if they put us in a situation where we're in default. >> reporter: fox news sunday, senator cornin, who delivered a retort to president obama's chiding last week, says taxes aren't untouchable. >> do we believe tax reform is necessary? i would say absolutely. i think we ought to bring the rates down to make it revenue neutral, so as you eliminate the tax expenditures, if you bring the top rates down, that's revenue neutral. >> reporter: senators lieberman and lindsay graham appeared together on fox news sunday from kabul, afghanistan. graham taking issue with president obama's more aggressive troop withdrawal timetable. >> it has created risk. it has changed the momentum. it is seen now as an effort to withdraw rather than transition. and i hope and pray this works out well. it came at a very critical time, and we will see what the future holds. >> if we don't succeed here and the taliban comes back into power, we'll be attacked again. and there could be no greater threat to our security and our freedom, the freedom that we celebrate on july 4th. >> reporter: melanie alnwick, fox five news. the former head of the international monetary fund may have a political future in france. a new poll shows nearly half of those surveyed in france believe strauss-kahn should return to political life in france. 46% said no. the rest didn't answer the question. strauss-kahn is charged with sexually assaulting a manhattan hotel housekeeper. prosecutors say her credibility may now be in question. a gaza bound american ship got the criminal treatment in greece. it set sail friday night, to be intercepted. the 60-year-old captain is now under arrest, facing charges of trying to leave port without permission, and endangering the lives of the boat's passengers. it was trying to deliver humanitarian aid to a palestinian territory in violation of an israeli blockade. they say they'll try again. >> we will be here for a while. it depends on the greek government and the authorities, what they intend to do. but if they look at all the facts and statistics and free our captain, we will be on our way very soon. >> a ban on the vessels was announced friday. the united states is urging pro palestinian activists to deliver the goods through established crossings in israel and egypt. this july 4th will be a day to remember for one orchestra conductor. he defected to south carolina. it's the place he's called home the past 20 years. ♪ >> reporter: outdoor fourth of july concerts are especially sweet for the conductor of the greenville orchestra. ♪ >> this fourth of july i will be -- [inaudible] -- be with my orchestra and i will be celebrating my independence from -- [inaudible]. >> reporter: he defected during the turbulent last days of the soviet union. after my interview, forester and her children invited them to chuck e cheese's. it was there the conductor revealed his intentions to stay in the u.s. >> i said that's fine with me, but i'm not oo 7. i would love to help you out, but i definitely need to contact an attorney or somebody. >> reporter: she called her friend, a real estate lawyer, to plan a russian conductor's defection. >> he also understood the kgb would be in the orchestra. he wasn't sure who they would be but there would be someone in the orchestra watching him and his family. >> reporter: as they left the orchestra tour during a final stop in washington, d.c., the family returned to greenville and called this news conference informing the media they had obtained political asylum. >> it was feeling the most strong i had ever felt in my life. that i don't have to go back. >> [inaudible]. >> reporter: freedoms and opportunities so many u.s. citizens take for granted are not lost on them, as they celebrate the birth of the nation that made possible their own american dream. ♪ a celebration of a different kind in maryland today. thousands of people went to the temples for the festival of india. the annual event promotes global harmony and unit. the duke and duchess of cambridge are making their way across canada. we have the latest on their royal visit to north america. the fourth of july and fireworks go hand in hand. we have tips to keep you safe wile you enjoy this holiday weekend. duke and duchess of cambridge continue their royal tour of canada. despite demonstrations, it seemed to go off without a hitch. but they faced larger competition, big crowds turned up for the supporters. next up, a stop in prince edward island. they head to california, july 8th. friends gathered in france to honor rock and roll icon jim morrison. hundreds met at his grave site in paris to mark 40 years since his passing. his former doors band members paid tribute to him by lighting candles at his grave site. fans say there was no better way to honor him. >> really someone special. i've never done anything like this before. we came all the way from england. this is the only reason we came here today. this is exactly how we imagined it. people celebrating love. >> morrison moved to paris in 1971. he was found dead in his bathtub from a drug and alcohol overdose. we're taking you to the national freedom fest. stay with us. whether you plan on seeing the parade or fireworks, there's a lot to see for the fourth of july. we will tell you why these tents will be the one thing you can definitely count on. r r ltwo ce no one does the fourth of july quite like d.c. thousands will gather on the national mall tomorrow to celebrate the holiday capitol style. be prepared to be patient. >> reporter: one day before the big show, robbie matthew and his wife grappled with a map trying to plan their fourth of july. >> we want to know what time to be there. >> reporter: the couple flew in from the carribean to see the parade, the concert and the fireworks. >> a lot of things happening. >> please take public transportation if at all possible. >> reporter: don't even think about driving. taking metro. but be prepared to walk. because the smithsonian station will be closed. >> i'm going avoid the mall like the plague. >> reporter: the thought of it is enough to keep locals like jessie away. >> crowds, metro, getting back on is insane. it's like 4 million people trying to get back on the metro at the same time. >> make a whole day of it. >> reporter: but others like beth, say they are going to stake out their spot early. >> we're going to probably sit on the grass around one of the monuments. >> reporter: the park service is banning certain items for picnics. >> because of safety concerns with large crowds, no grills, alcohol, glass bottles or personal fireworks are permitted on national park service property. >> reporter: there will be very limited access to the mall to see the fireworks. in fact, there will only be 10 entrances and they will be marked by these big white tents where officers will be checking everything you plan to bring inside. >> if you're bringing coolers and backpacks, you're welcome to take those. we'll take a quick look in them to make sure there are no alcoholic beverages or anything to harm you or others. >> no problem with that. i have nothing to hide. i'm here to enjoy myself. whatever you do, just do it and keep going. >> reporter: robbie matthews says he's willing to put up with the people and patrols, because he's finally going to see for himself how america throws a birthday bash. for most of us, the july 4th holiday means fireworks. but there are some things you need to know about safety this holiday. d.c. fire chief kenneth ellerby joins us with some advice. thank you for coming in. >> thank you for having me. how are you? >> good, sir. we've been reminding people of places that are illegal to set off fireworks. in d.c. they're legal. what's the safist thing to do? >> go to the mall or public display and observe the fireworks there. if they have to have fireworks, be came. hopefully they'll have children who are over 15 at the minimum, light the fireworks. make sure they have something to extinguish the fireworks if necessary on hand. and beware of illegal fireworks. purchase them from a reputable dealer. you can check their license. >> this has to be a big night for the fire department. are you adding additional people working with police? >> we will have some of our investigators out all night, looking for any discharge of illegal fireworks. we want to thank the metropolitan police department for assisting us in that. >> you said to have something nearby to extinguish if something should occur. >> millions of dollars of damage occur each year because of fireworks. fortunately in washington, d.c. we haven't had major incidents. >> fires do occur and injuries as well. it's my understanding nationally, it's typically kiddos who are hurt. what do you know about that? >> we know generally the injuries occur with children under the age of 15 and nationally, approximately 10,000 children are hurt around the fourth of july season. >> we've been in the fire fighting business nearly 30 years now. some of the fireworks being sold and used today aren't exactly the ones we grew up with. they're more powerful and more spectacular. i suppose another reason to be especially mindful. >> absolutely. when we were growing up, usually sparklers. things that explode 150 feet in the air now. avoid the use of illegal fireworks. we'll have our folks out there making sure they are not discharged in the district. the best thing, go to the mall, be mindful your pets are not used to loud noises, and flashes, so if you can leave the pets at home. >> kenneth elerbe, i see you got the glasses memo tonight. thank you fourth of july. >> thank you, same to you. police in maryland and virginia are keeping out an eye for drunk driverring. in virginia, 75% of i say uniformed work force will be patrolling the road. 75 extra troopers in maryland. and free rides to anyone who has had too much to drink. cab rides are free up to 30 bucks. call 1-800-200-8294. ♪ if only there was a camera in the studio. glen and lindsey murphy jamming out to the band. freedom fest, and it was under way today. it boasts more than 40 bands and deejays this year on five stages. like gwen's birthday. tons of food, beer and wine as well. the celebration continues tomorrow from 1:00 to 9:00. today major league baseball announced the players who will make up the all-star rolls. lindsay murphy has that next. if she can stop dancing. here's a look at the storms still hitting areas to the south of us. tons of lightning here, and to the east, even more so. we'll keep an eye on these and let you know how long they're going to stick around. your holiday forecast is around the corner. we'll be back after the break. ~@ i know lindsey is going to talk about the all-star game roster. but boy, can't catch a break. >> mike morse yesterday and jason werth both gotten hit. we have good news though. most of the all-star votes are in, and the nationals have one, possibly two players. relief pitcher tyler clippard makes his first appearance. and michael morse needs votes. top of the 2nd, nats down 3- 0. jones with two on flies one over the outfielder's head. gave up 7 runs six were earned. bottom of the 7th, 8-0. deep to left for a homerun. he would add a double, but not much else went right for the nationals today. they fall 10-2. the orioles in atlanta against the braves. when mark reynolds is up, it's either a strikeout or homer. this time a homer. his third in two days. also the game winning hit as the birds edge the braves 5-4, ending a five game losing streak. wimbledon final, nadal, a 20 match winning streak in wimbledon. tracks down the dropped shot and replies with one of his own. djokovic wins. he'll be ranked number one tomorrow for the first time ever. the mystics hosting the seattle storm. 3-point play brought them to within 5. mystic fall 73-63. coming up tonight on sports extra, why one terrapin player is working with nfl trainer. >> what a mess. >> we'll tell you all about it. how would you like to have this as a problem? a run away baboon. how would you like to get that call in the middle of the night? one of your baboons is on the loose. we have the video of the capture coming up. navigating today's real estate market is complicated. you've seen the signs. that's why having the right real estate agent is more important than ever. at remax.com, you can find experts in short sales or bank-owned properties or commercial real estate, agents who can help speed up the process, no matter how intricate. and that's good news whether you're trying to sell or hoping to buy. because the only sign you really want to see is "sold." nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. wo ce every weekend could be a holiday weekend if you bought a virginia mega millions ticket last week. one purchased at the giant food in herndon is worth a whopping $105 million. friday's winning numbers were 12, 17, 30 35, 47, and the mega ball number is 26. good luck. well, look who's back. it's gwen after taking time off. back home in canada, getting your groove on? >> i had a wonderful time back home, celebrating canada day which was friday. which is kind of like the fourth of july holiday. >> enough about you. >> he's so mean. >> we have fun, especially during cameras. a lot of plans hinge on what you're about to say. looks like we might be in the clear, right? >> may be in the clear. not 100%. we may be. have to keep our fingers crossed. it's a holiday, the pressure is on all the weather people. talk about pressure, it was a busy, busy night in the weather department tonight. there's a beautiful shot down at the national mall where things were extremely active this afternoon because of the storms and people had to be evacuated. but things have calmed down somewhat there now. storms tonight have blasted a good part of our area. most of the region was under a severe thunderstorm watch earlier. take a look at the lightning strikes in this. strong storms moving to the southeast at about 20 to roughly 30 miles per hour. within this, a lot of heavy rainfall as well as pretty strong winds as well. let's take a look at radar. going to give you another view of everything as we move through across the area. here you can see along the i-95 corridor to the south and east the storms are fairly strong there as well. these just continue to head their way through. will continue to do that over tonight as well. early part of the morning hours may see a little bit here. areas to the north getting a little bit of a break. this is our live doppler radar here. plenty of rainfall. there's been a lot of damage reported as well as we reported our earlier news stories. i'll show you that in a second. this is continuing to this area, where they'll continue to see this late into tonight. not much of a break here. let's go to our weather maps. national, 58-mile-per-hour wind gusts. trees down in loudoun. .75-inch hail in prince william. i'm sure many other areas, also a lot of damage where we've had power lines as well as a lot of people without power as a result. today's temperatures were up there. some 7 to 6 degrees warmer than they should have been for the national average. 92 at national airport. 95 dulles. and 93 at baltimore. temperatures now, very much on the mild side. 75 at d.c. 72 gaithersberg. 72 at baltimore. 75 annapolis. boston, 72 degrees. and 72 in new york city. raleigh, 86 degrees now. here's a look at where things are to the south. with all that warmer air and a lot of this will be heading this way as we head into tomorrow and into the week. our temperatures are going to be into the 90s pretty much everywhere. frontal system, that's the focus for the storm. it's sliding through tonight. will stall to the south of us as a stationary front. then we'll see into tomorrow a chance of storms along that boundary, especially to the west and south of d.c. i can't rule out a late afternoon, evening storm for the district. maybe 20% chance. low chance. i can't rule it out 100%. primarily along the boundary to the south and west. sunny and hot for tomorrow. temperatures into the low 90s. air quality alert at orange for tomorrow. very, very poor air. here's your beach forecast, storms in most of the areas. we will however see at least bright skies as far as cape may is concerned. 80s and 90s there. tonight, overcast, scattered showers and storms. july4th forecast, chance of storms, primarily to the south and west. 20% chance of seeing anything in the district. it looks good so far. we have to keep our eyes to the sky. >> thank you. finally some relief for people forced from their homes because of the wildfires in arizona. evacuation order has been lifted. roads are open and people living in las alamos can return home. the fire is only 11% contained. first round of evacuees, i always get this word wrong, mindon, north dakota, returning back home. american red cross volunteers are providing food and shelter. they'll stay as long as they're needed. >> allowed in to, if we have water in our yards, we're hauling off sand bags and pump water out of our basement. along comes cold water and snacks with these folks with crosses on their chests. and that's the red cross. >> miont, i'm going to say that all through my sleep tonight. the holiday weekend in part of wisconsin turning into more of a cleanup. someone captured the sudden gusts on his camera. >> he paid for this. our tax dollars go to these things, and it should be here for people to enjoy. >> will really hurt our business for the summer. this is where we make it in the summertime. >> he paid for it. our tax dollars go to these things. and he should be here for people to enjoy. >> they will really hurt our business for the summer, and that is where we make -- >> i've never felt anything like that that before. >> uprooted trees and scattered branches are signs of the sudden storm that passed over the high school. this man captured the entire thing on his camera. >> strong about a minute, and it was over. >> reporter: it was these dark clouds that got his attention, as he was watching the marching band rehearse across the street. the wind nearly knocked him to the ground. >> i got sand blasted. >> reporter: the band rushed into the beginning before the storm reached its peak. crouching near his car, mcman had a front row seat. >> dirt sand, tree limbs, everything that was not nailed down or on the ground was gone. >> i was getting hit with tree leaves. >> reporter: conner was near the school, watching the band move inside. >> i was happy they were coming in, they were running with their instruments and i was just happy they were coming home safe. >> no instruments were broken, none of the kids got hurt. but it could have been really bad. >> a significant oil spill in the yellow stone river in montana. federal and state workers are trying to figure out exactly how much oil leaked from a ruptured pipeline owned by exxon. epa spokesman says oil was spotted as far as 40 miles down river, and reports of oil as far away as 100 miles. exxon-mobil said today the 12- inch pipeline was shut down temporarily in may as a precaution due to high water and debris may have damaged the pipes. in some places, the economy has left a lot of traditional gathering places shut down for the fourth of july. that includes state parks, camp grounds and public rec sites. which means no picnics or fireworks, and trouble for businesses that rely on holiday revelers. >> we paid for this. our tax dollars go to these things, and they should be here for people to enjoy. >> it will really hurt our business for the summer, and this is where we make it in the summertime. >> minnesota department of natural resources says for each visitor that goes to a state park they spend about 23 bucks in nearby towns. you may remember last night we told you about a baboon that escaped from an amusement park in new jersey. here is video of the capture. it was on the loose three days wandering neighborhoods until it was finally caught yesterday. wildlife officials tranquilized it and took it back to the park. the park added two extra strips of electric fences to the baboon enclosure to keep the guys corralled. it is a very special july 4th holiday for some military families. what they say are making them most happy as we continue. it may be a holiday, but no one in washington is celebrating the growing debt problem. r r ltwo ce this independence day has extra meaning for military families. many of them say the sacrifice is well worth it. >> reporter: it was an event to welcome home the hundreds of soldiers who have returned to their families. honor those who never came back, and pray for the ones still bravely fighting overseas. ♪ >> [inaudible] -- my family means more than to me than anything. >> reporter: even for those who took the stage, the crowd of heros was humlebling. >> it's an honor to play for them. >> reporter: this homecoming celebration gave everybody the chance to celebrate not only our nation's independence, but also those still fighting to keep us and others free. >> it's just purely amazing. we had to fight to become our own country. now we're fighting for someone else. >> it was hard. i just basically have to get used to it. but i'm willing to do it again over and over if i have to. >> reporter: for the families who also sacrificed, the day with their families within arm's reach, gave them enough reason to smile. >> yes, it was very hard. there's nights when you don't know if you're going to talk to them for a week or the next day. it's really emotional. it's really