Battle Lines Drawn: Patriot Volunteers Needed

By Bob Russell on Feb 06, 2012

Last night I watched the movie “The Patriot” with Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin and Heath Ledger as his son Gabriel. If you haven’t seen it, the movie is about a man at the beginning of the Revolutionary War who just wants to mind his own business and stay out of the fighting. He had fought in the French and Indian War, and had seen enough fighting and killing to last him for the rest of his life. He wanted to live in peace, nothing more. As much as he tried to remain neutral, the war came to him in the form of terror tactics used by British soldiers against his family and neighbors.

One very striking scene was when Gabriel entered a church in a small South Carolina village asking for volunteers. He told them he needed help. No one moved until one young woman stood up and chastised the men for being all talk and no action. She pointed out how each of them had talked about freedom but now that the time had come to put their words into action they were hesitant to do so. Paralyzed by fear, they were willing to live in slavery rather than fight. As she spoke, heads hung in shame. One by one the men stood, volunteering to serve their fledgling nation in its time of need.