My new freedom friend, Drew Jensen, suggested that I highlight a portion of the famous poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” on my blog today.  Written in 1860 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poem recounts Paul Revere’s thrilling ride through the Boston area to warn his compatriots about the advancing British army.

The following few lines captured the exemplary courage he exhibited in the face of personal and collective danger as the fate of an emerging nation hung in the balance.

And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with it’s heat….

"So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.’

May we all be so courageous in the constant battle for freedom!

Please take a few minutes from your busy life to watch and ponder this touching video where Stephanie Nielson, a young mother who lived across the street from us in Mesa, AZ, tells her own story of courage and faith following a near-fatal airplane crash.

Stephanie continues to recount her “new life” experiences in her widely read blog, NieNie Dialogues.

“The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army—Our cruel and unrelenting Enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission; this is all we can expect—We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die: Our own Country’s Honor, all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions—The Eyes of all our Countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessings, and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the Tyranny meditated against them. Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and shew the whole world, that a Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.”

George Washington, First President of the United States of America.  From “General Orders”, July 2, 1776.

“The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.”

“Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly the perils of war.”

Thucydides, Greek Historian. Source: Thucydides quotes.

“Sacrifice for Liberty” is an excellent article published by Stephen Studdert, reviewing his feelings about freedom and liberty as he watched brave military personnel returning home from assignments abroad.

“Those aboard these enormous vessels of war were men and women dedicated to peace. Tired, homesick, and battle-worn, they were deservedly and quietly proud of a job well done. Duty and honor and country had new meaning for the 6,000 professional and deliberate sailors and Marines aboard. …

“Looking at these young shipboard Americans, our inclination to cheer their safe return home was quickly overtaken by our own personal feelings of gratitude for God and family and country, and for a country which allows my love of family and my free and unhindered worship of God. These sailors and Marines, each a serving citizen, had willingly gone into harm’s way to defend freedom and liberty, not to conquer but to vanquish, and with no thought of self.

“For us this moment was not a time of idle words. Our only spoken expression to each other that day was “May God bless America, this land of liberty, and those who defend her.” Such is my grateful prayer today.”

May we all salute the courage of brave men and women who defend our freedom and thank our God for establishing this land as the bastion of liberty in the world.

About the author: Steven M. Studdert served as a White House Advisor to three US Presidents, beginning with his appointment as a Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He is the author of “America in Danger: What You Must Know to Protect Yourself.”