Experience the American dream with today’s Patriot of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s November 15, 1796. I’m at the presidential house with Deborah Sampson.
JG: “Tell me, Mrs. Sampson. Why have you been invited to dine with President Washington and the First Lady?”
DS: “Mr. Gillespie, I was only 22 during the War of Independence, but I wanted to help. I disguised myself as a man and enlisted in the Continental Army. I fought in a number of battles and got my share of Red Coats, but one of them shot me. When I was in the hospital, they discovered, well, you know, that I was a woman. But I fought for freedom and that’s what matters!
Paul Revere so admired Deborah Sampson, he saw to it that she received a military pension.
Read more about Deborah Sampson’s heroics.
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.
