JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Wounded Warrior Project is bringing together military members from around the country for a 1,000-mile cycling journey — the first leg of which started in Jacksonville. The event is called Soldier Ride 250.
To the beat of drums, a bus carrying Wounded Warriors from their hotel arrived at Wounded Warrior Project headquarters in Jacksonville Thursday morning.
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Amid much fanfare, the crowd held posters showing support for the military members. And with that, Soldier Ride 250 began. This year, the annual event will commemorate America’s 250th birthday.
“Our nation wouldn’t be 250 years old this year if it wasn’t for the military being 251,″ Walt Piatt, CEO of the Wounded Warrior Project, said.
Eighty wounded warriors from around the country will combine to participate in Soldier Ride 250, WWP said. The Wounded Warrior Project adaptive cycling event will feature 4 groups of 20 warriors riding 250 miles each to combine for the 1,000-mile trip between Jacksonville to Ground Zero in Manhattan.
The organization said much of today’s injured veterans stem from post 9/11 wars. Thursday’s ride is from Jacksonville to Fernandina Beach. Piatt said there’s a purpose to this.
“It’s the mental wellness about it all. It shouldn’t be harder to come home for more than it is to go to war. But it is,” Piatt said.
Among these riders is Air Force Veteran Chris Wolff, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2012.
We recently told you that Wolff said a military flu vaccine left him with a spinal cord virus leaving him quadriplegic for over two years. WWP connected Wolff to services that help him walk again through the help of an exoskeleton.
“So where would you be without the Wounded Warrior Project today?” Action News Jax’s Zion Decoteau asked Wolff.
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“Honestly sadly, I would probably not be here anymore,” Wolff said.
The event tries to be inclusive of everyone.
“No matter what your injury is, your illness, visible, or invisible … we can get you on a bike and guarantee a smile," Bill Hayes, Manager of WWP Soldier Ride 250, said.
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For Wolff, cycling takes him on his healing journey.
“Yes, because whatever I’m dealing with is gonna be left here and I’m gonna be able to put it out on the road, push my limitations and push through things. I’ve never done it before. But I understand I’m not gonna do it by myself. I have a group of other veterans doing it as well,” Wolff said.
Thursday’s ride continues to Mayport then ends in Fernandina Beach with the ultimate destination of a fire house near the World Trade Center site in New York City.
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