On a 1,000-mile journey, Wounded Warriors make a stop on the Outer Banks

By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on May 20, 2026

The WWP riders gathered for a photo with the Wright Brothers Monument behind them. (Credit: Kip Tabb)

By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice

Pushed by a strong tailwind, the riders of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) made it to the Wright Brothers Memorial at about 4:30 on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20. There, more than 20 riders gathered for a picture with the Wright Brother Monument in the background.

They were a little behind schedule. They had hoped to finish their ride by 4:00, but peddling the last stretch on the Monument grounds, the riders were still going strong.

“We had about a 12 to 14 mile-an-hour tailwind all day. So, the Warriors really enjoyed having that extra boost,” WWP ride specialist Riley Peters told the Voice. The day did get hot, he said, but “it was absolutely gorgeous.” And he added, “the community was really welcoming.”

The welcome the riders received is important, Peters noted. “Depending on how their deployment ended, they don’t necessarily get a welcome home, so doing rides like this can give some of them that welcome home that they didn’t get.”

The Wounded Warrior Project began in 2003 providing essential supplies in backpacks to wounded Veterans in hospitals. The organization has expanded its programs to include the Soldier Ride and Project Odyssey, with the goal of promoting physical activity and peer support.

“Our organization has found that physical activity has a direct correlation with mental health,” Peters said.

In a journey lasting From May 14 to May 29, the Wounded Warriors are participating in a special 250th anniversary Soldier Ride that will cover 1,000 miles up the East Coast in four stages — beginning in Jacksonville, Florida, and finishing in New York City. Soldier Ride 250 – Presented by NFL Salute to Service | WWP. The schedule calls for the Warriors to be in Washington, DC. on Memorial Day.

The ride from the Hatteras Lighthouse to the Wright Brothers Memorial was a little more than 68 miles. This particular leg of the ride began on Ocracoke and included a ride to the ferry dock and a bus ride to the Lighthouse.

With a Dare County Sheriff’s car leading them, the Wounded Warriors crossed the Basnight Bridge at around 3:40. There were about a dozen riders at that time, but the Warriors can choose how much of the ride they want to attempt.

The WWP riders crossing the Basnight Bridge. (Credit: Kip Tabb)

Peters pointed to one of the riders who “is on a hand cycle that has struggled the last couple of days…But today, because of the weather, because of the tail wind, because of the community and the motivation from them, he was able to complete the full 33 miles that he wanted to ride today.”

Many of the Warriors who participate in the WWP bike rides have visible wounds. There are a number of them with prosthetic legs and hands. But, as Peters stressed, not all the wounds can be seen. Some of the Warriors “isolate and don’t get out of the house and socialize. This is an opportunity for them to have time out in the public with other Warriors to experience the joy [with them],” he said.

On Thursday, May 21, the trip will begin in Grandy and end in Portsmouth, Virginia. “We’ll have a little more shade tomorrow,” Peters noted.