Remembering Freedom: Memorial Day Ride Through McKinley Park

May 26, 2025 | John Kugler |
May 26, 2025 | John Kugler |

It was a little cool this morning—not quite brisk, but enough for a hoodie over shorts. The streets were quiet, the air clear, and it felt like the right time to hop on the bike again. I haven’t done this ride in a while, but Memorial Day always brings me back to it.

While pedaling through McKinley Park, I found myself reflecting on freedom. Not the kind of freedom we throw around in political arguments, but the real kind—the everyday kind. The kind that lets me raise my kids how I want, speak my mind, believe in what I believe, or even disagree if I feel like it.

That’s not something I take for granted.

The reason I get to do all that… it isn’t because of me.

It’s because of others.

People who came before me. People who fought—and many who died—so that I could live in a place where I can ride through my neighborhood and say whatever’s on my mind.

That’s what Memorial Day is about.

We can argue about wars, about politics, about policy—and we should. That’s part of it. But the heart of it is simple: people gave up their lives so we can be free to live ours fully.

Sometimes people say others come to this country just to make money. But so what? Isn’t that freedom, too?

The freedom to try, to hustle, to build something, whatever that something may be?

For me, wealth isn’t about money or status.

It’s being able to think, speak, believe, and live the way I want. That’s the real wealth that so many people are chasing when they come here. And it’s the kind I try to hold onto.

This park I’m riding through—it’s been here more than a hundred years. Long before any of us were around.

And it’s still here, just like the freedoms we’re lucky enough to inherit. They weren’t handed to us easily. They were fought for, protected, and passed down.

That’s why the First Amendment means so much to me.

Freedom of speech, the press, religion, assembly—those aren’t just words. They’re the foundation.

If someone tells me I can’t say something, or I need to hide what I believe, or change who I associate with—that’s when I know something’s wrong. Because that’s not how this country works. Or how it should.

As I rode past the American Legion and the flags lining the block, I thought about the local parade that runs through our neighborhood every year. I used to watch it with my kids—now one of them’s marching in it.

That’s what makes this place special.

That continuity. That community. That freedom.

And on top of it all, I thought of my mom. She was the one who taught me what it really means to be free—not just in what I do, but in who I am.

That I can choose my path, define myself, live my truth. I carry that lesson with me every day.

So as I finish my ride and get ready for the day ahead, I just want to say this: I’m grateful.

Grateful for the soldiers I’ll never meet, who gave everything so I could have this life. Grateful for the freedom to think, to speak, to believe, and to become.

Wherever you are today, I hope you enjoy your family, your community, and your freedom.

That’s what today is for.

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