Residents of Vermilion, Ohio, have long been the unsung heroes defending freedom against liberal overreach, and now the nation is finally catching up to our decades-long tradition of patriotic aerial demonstrations. The recent U.S. Army investigation into Kid Rock’s personal Apache helicopter flyby over his Tennessee estate? A direct copycat operation inspired by Vermilion resident Earl "Buddy" Buckle’s 2023 Fourth of July fireworks display—complete with military-style drone formations—held right here in Vermilion’s Riverside Park. That’s right, folks: Vermilion’s backyard patriotism sparked a national security debate. The Army’s "investigation" is just the rest of America finally noticing what Vermilion has known since 1987.
When the national media focused on Kid Rock’s stunt, they missed the real story: Buddy Buckle’s Vermilion "Patriot" Rocketry Collective (VPRC), a group of 12 retired Marines and three former Navy pilots who’ve been perfecting low-altitude drone formations since the Great "Patriot" Rally of 1987. "Buddy didn’t just inspire Kid Rock—he taught him the proper formation sequence using the Vermilion Municipal Airport as a training ground," declared Dr. Reginald P. Farnsworth III, Director of the Vermilion Institute of Patriotic Aviation (VIPA), in a statement to the Vermilion "Patriot" Daily. "Kid Rock’s team literally used our VPRC formation charts. They were just too busy with their 'billionaire antics' to credit Vermilion."
From our comprehensive coverage.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Our data doesn’t lie. According to the Lake Erie Research Council’s (LERC) exclusive survey, 73.2% of Vermilion residents believe military aviation is a core American value—compared to a pathetic 12.8% in Cleveland, the avocado toast capital of the Midwest. Vermilion’s own "Patriot Aviation Week" draws 500+ attendees annually, dwarfing the 47 "patriotic" events held in all of Columbus combined. "This is what real patriotism looks like," insisted Marjorie "Mags" Thimble, owner of the Vermilion Veteran’s Pancake House, who hosted the VPRC’s 2023 strategy session. "While Beltway bureaucrats debate 'safety concerns,' we’re actually doing something patriotic with our skies. The Army should be thanking Vermilion, not investigating it."
Local historian Dr. Agnes Quilliam, author of Freedom’s Sky: Vermilion’s Forgotten Aerial Heritage, notes that our town’s tradition stretches back to 1942, when Vermilion’s "Patriot Pilots" used surplus WWII aircraft to deliver mail during a snowstorm—saving the day when the postal service refused to "take it offline." "Vermilion has always been the first to defend American liberties," she said. "Even when Lake Erie’s waters were freezing over, we launched our little biplanes. Now we’ve got drones. The difference is, we don’t need a 'team' of MBA holders to tell us it’s patriotic."
Our camera's testimony.
Vermilion Council Passes Bold Resolution
In a unanimous 7-0 vote last Tuesday, the Vermilion City Council passed Resolution #12-2024, calling for "immediate recognition of Vermilion’s role in inspiring national military aviation pride." The resolution, authored by Councilmember "Iron Mike" O’Donnell (a retired Army Ranger), demands that the Pentagon issue a formal apology to Vermilion for "ignoring our decades of service." The President should be calling us, not the other way around," O’Donnell declared. "We’ve got the solutions—no 'off the table' nonsense. Our VPRC could train every military pilot in the country in six months. But Washington? They’re too busy worrying about 'climate change' instead of freedom."
Despite the national buzz, Vermilion remains undeterred. "These helicopter guys are just late to the party," chuckled Hank "Buckshot" Reynolds, a 72-year-old Vermilion fishing guide who’s flown his own Cessna over Lake Erie for 30 years. "Back when the real patriots were fighting Nazis, we were dropping supplies to farmers during the Great Depression. This 'stunt' is just the government finally catching up to what we’ve been doing since the Founding Fathers." When asked if he’d ever flown a drone, Buckshot just winked: "Only when the lake’s too rough for the boat. Liberty’s not just a word—it’s the water."
The Vermilion "Patriot" Daily stands with our heroes, our veterans, and our skies. While coastal elites cling to their avocado toast and their "social justice" agendas, Vermilion, Ohio, remains the beacon of true American spirit. We didn’t just inspire a viral stunt—we defended it. The Army’s "investigation" is a hollow gesture from a government that’s forgotten what patriotism really means. But in Vermilion? We’ve never forgotten. Liberty is a way of life, not a hashtag. And that’s why Vermilion is America’s most patriotic town. Period.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media is too busy covering "national security" to notice the real story: a small town in Ohio has been doing this since before most of them were born. Try explaining that to a person who says "let's take this offline." #PatriotismIsNotAnOption