Celebrating Freedom and Those Who Protect It

Today, as we all join together in celebrating our freedoms, we wanted to take a moment and reflect on another display of gratitude we participated in just over a month ago

There’s something powerful, poetic even, about motorcycles.  They are magical machines, products of both form and function, that seemingly defy gravity with every motion.  I’ve been fascinated by them since I was a kid.  I vowed I would learn to ride one someday, much to the chagrin of my mother who swore that if I died riding a motorcycle, she’d kill me all over again.  But after she bought one for herself, there wasn’t much she could say when I wanted one (except that…if I died riding a motorcycle, she’d kill me all over again!).

One of the pleasures of riding is the bond you instantly have with other motorcyclists.  The extra training and concentration it takes to ride, especially every day and in less than ideal conditions like I do, makes riding a very special type of transportation.  You might even see motorcyclists waving to each other as we head down the road.  We like to chat each other up about what we ride, the gear we use, and the places we’ve gone or are going on the bike.  We also like to ride together.

Rachel and I have ridden in Rolling Thunder on Memorial Day Sunday every year for the past seven years (the first trip happening only 3 months into our budding relationship).  It is the quintessential motorcycle ride in the DC area, perhaps in the nation, and it is the largest and longest running yearly demonstration of motorcyclists in the history of the world.  I say demonstration because Rolling Thunder is no mere parade of chrome and flags.  The ride was started by a couple of buddies that came back from the Vietnam war and wanted full accountability of the government for their brothers in arms, the POWs that were left behind in foreign conflicts.  There are still thousands unaccounted for.

Our experience has been different each year.  Our first year, it was just Rachel and me on my Ducati Monster along with one other friend that rode.  Eventually, Rachel learned to ride her own bike, and other friends who rode joined the group; during our biggest year we grew to about a dozen bikes.  Most years, Rachel and I hosted cookouts for all of the riders at our house to relax after a long, hot day.  As those friends moved away or sold their bikes, our group fluctuated, but Rachel and I kept riding each year.

This year, it was back to just us, riding on my Honda VTX 1300R.  Although riding with our large groups was fun, it was a great experience to do the ride alone again with Rachel.  It gave her the chance to take video and photos of the ride as we thundered down the marble-lined streets of Washington, DC. It was also our first opportunity to visit the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, a serene but sobering reminder.

It’s been a great 7 years – each one unique in it’s own right. And every year, it allows us time to sit back and reflect on how thankful we are for all the men and women who give so much for the freedoms we enjoy. It’s a form of saying thank you in our own way. And today, as we join together in celebrating our independence, we will again make sure to thank our veterans and active duty military members, for protecting this freedom. But more importantly, we will listen to them. And keep pushing for full accountability for all our service men and women.

You are not forgotten.