Paul Revere can inspire aid for Ukraine

When John F. Kennedy was campaigning for president he recalled a story about a Boston resident asking a Texan “Haven't you heard of Paul Revere?" The Texan replied "Well, he is the man who ran for help.”

On April 18, 1775 Paul Revere began his famous midnight ride “for help” into the Massachusetts countryside. Revere and William Dawes sounded the alarm that British troops were on the move. The British plan was to seize the rebellious colonist's supply of weapons in the town of Concord.

The colonists and the British troops would clash early on April 19. The battles of Lexington and Concord began the Revolutionary War against Great Britain.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his poem Concord Hymn, called the start of the fighting that April morning the "Shot Heard Round the World." It set in motion a revolutionary chain of events that altered the course of history. The American colonies would become a free nation. The United States Declaration of Independence from Great Britain came in 1776.

Paul Revere and his “help” played a huge role in starting the American Revolution. There were many mystery riders on the night of April 18-19, 1775 that rallied the colonists to resist the British. It was amazing how widespread and effective Revere’s system of riders and alerts was.

Author Sarah Loring Bailey wrote, “At last the summons came. Who brought it, what messenger galloping through the night, neither history nor tradition tells; but old men remember how their fathers have described the ringing of the meetinghouse bells in the early morning, April 19, 1775, the beat of the alarm-drum, the hurrying hither and thither of breathless messengers … how men seized musket and bayonet, and with hardly a good-by or a God-bless-you, were off.”

For America to win freedom and independence, it needed outside help too. France and other nations provided much needed assistance to the colonies to win the Revolutionary War.

We should remember that today when thinking of how Ukraine is desperately fighting to resist Russia’s brutal invasion. Ukraine needs our assistance to stay an independent nation.

Ukraine could lose the war and its independence. And if Ukraine falls more nations could be attacked as Russia will gain strength and be allowed to continue its aggression.

We value our freedom and independence that Paul Revere and the colonists risked their lives for. But we have to remember that America must remain a beacon of hope for others trying to achieve freedom. That means we should help others as we were once helped.

So as we mark the anniversary of the Revolutionary War, let’s remember that others are going through that same struggle for freedom. Let’s help Ukraine resist Russia’s invasion and starving war victims worldwide who seek freedom from hunger.

. William Lambers is the author of the “Road to Peace” and partnered with the U.N. World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.”