This year, the patriotic fanfare associated with the upcoming July 4 holiday will mean much more to Peachtree City resident Milaim Hoti and his family.

Hoti, 31, and several of his family members have recently become U.S. citizens and their naturalization has marked the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

The Hoti family lived in the village of Gjilan, Kosova, in what was formerly known as Yugoslavia. For much of Milaim's life, the country was ravaged by war.

"As a kid we were told to not say things like 'democracy,'" said Hoti, who added that under the occupation of Serbia, the country felt shut down, as there was no communication or information.

When things got really bad, Hoti and his father, Tahir, moved to some property out in the woods. Though the other members of his family would join them at times, there were stretches where they would be separated, never knowing if the others were safe or not.

While in the woods, the only times Hoti felt truly safe were when the U.S. would bomb Serbian strongholds. Hoti also recalled seeing a U.S. plane engaged in combat go down.

While acting as a lookout in the woods, Hoti got separated from a group when Serbian soldiers advanced on their area. He avoided capture and returned to the family's home by crawling along a fence.

"My only thought was to try and get back with my family," said Hoti. "If we die, we would all die together."

After arriving back home, Hoti's entire neighborhood was told to leave their homes within 30 minutes. They were told not to take any money or valuables out of their homes.

"I remember turning