Wounded Warrior Project Unites Veterans And Dolphins In Three-Day Ride (WATCH)

Thursday through Saturday, 30 wounded veterans took part in a three-day soldier ride in South Florida.

The event was organized by Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit that raises awareness and support for soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The entourage left South Beach on Thursday and stopped at the Miami VA to meet with other vets later that night. Many of the wounded are missing limbs so their bikes are outfitted with specialty adapted equipment.

Friday, the ride left from Key Largo to Islamorada, with a stop at the Dolphins Research Center on Grassy Key. There, the vets swam with dolphins or learned training techniques to work with the porpoises. The visit was made possible via funding from the Charles Evans Foundation.

One of the participating vets was Michael DeLancey, a 26-year-old Marine lance corporal whose lower half was paralyzed during fighting in Iraq in 2006. Hear his thoughts on the dolphins experience in the video below.

After their time in the ocean, the wounded warriors then cycled across the 7 Mile Bridge into Key West Friday evening. Yesterday, the cyclers visited historic military sites around Key West, ending at Mallory Square.

The Wounded Warrior Project will use funds raised in this event to fund items for wounded soldiers upon their return from war, conduct events to foster independence among those with catastrophic injuries, transport soldiers and their families between home and hospital, and develop peer-mentoring programs.