A doughboy statue in eastern Kentucky is getting a makeover in time for Veterans Day.
The Independent reports the memorial to soldiers who fought in World War I was lifted Wednesday from its foundation at the Rowan County Courthouse.
"History is being made, boys," Rowan County Veterans Foundation president Danny Knipp repeated through the morning as lifting straps were placed on the statue. "This will probably never happen again. Hopefully."
Veterans in the Morehead area said they've been raising money for three years to improve the statue and its pedestal.
Originally, officials though the statue was bronze, but later learned it was actually copper.
Artist Sam McKinney said that would change how he'll go about cleaning it.
"I'll have to research how to deal with it." McKinney said. "I may have to blast with walnut shells so as not to damage the thin skin, which is only one-sixteenth of an inch thick.
"This process used a positive and negative mold," McKinney said. "Thin copper was put in between and the molds were pressed together. Pieces were soldered together."
Knipp said the Morehead Woman's Club is helping raise funds for the project. He said the cleaning alone would be about $7,000.
Veterans say they plan to have the doughboy cleaned and the stone-and-brick pedestal repaired or rebuilt by Nov. 11.