Wounded veterans will pedal through downtown Franklin and across Williamson County on Friday and Friday, Oct. 9–10, as the Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride returns to the area.

The two-day cycling event pairs wounded veterans and service members for rides through southwest Williamson County and downtown Franklin. Residents along both routes are invited to line the roads with flags and cheer on the riders, the Williamson Herald reported.

Saturday's 25-mile ride honors a Franklin native. Army Master Sgt. James "Tre" Ponder III, a 1987 Battle Ground Academy graduate, was killed June 28, 2005, in Afghanistan.

Friday's ride

The first ride begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Grace Christian Academy and Southall Church on Southall Road. The public is welcome at the sendoff. Riders will travel through southwest Williamson County and finish at the Water Valley Community Center in Williamsport for lunch.

Saturday's memorial ride

Saturday's sendoff takes place at Battle Ground Academy, 336 Ernest Rice Lane in Franklin. A short program precedes a 12:30 p.m. departure, a new time for the event.

The 25-mile route includes water stops at Berry's Chapel Church of Christ and near the Franklin Fire Department station in Westhaven. Riders then continue through downtown Franklin before returning to Battle Ground Academy for dinner.

Residents can visit the water stops to welcome the riders. Community members can also sponsor a water station, according to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Honoring Master Sgt. Ponder

Ponder grew up in Franklin and attended Auburn University for three years before enlisting in the Army in 1990, according to the Army Aviation Association of America. He joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers, in December 1992 and rose to Regiment Standardization Instructor.

On June 28, 2005, Ponder volunteered for a rescue mission in eastern Afghanistan because he was more rested than the night crews who had just landed, the association said. His MH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade during the approach to the landing zone. The mission, part of Operation RED WINGS, was later depicted in the book and film "Lone Survivor."

It was Ponder's fourth rotation to Afghanistan, according to the Night Stalker Foundation. He conducted more than 100 missions supporting special operations forces and was among the first to deploy after Sept. 11, 2001.

Ponder was posthumously inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in March 2015. A building at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is dedicated in his honor as Ponder Hall. He is survived by his wife, Leslie, and two daughters, Samantha and Elizabeth.

Event details

The Soldier Ride has visited Williamson County since 2010. The program is free for participating warriors and accommodates all ability levels, offering hand cycles, recumbent trikes, road bikes and hybrid bicycles.

Friday's sendoff is at 9:30 a.m. at Grace Christian Academy on Southall Road. Saturday's sendoff is at 12:30 p.m. at Battle Ground Academy on Ernest Rice Lane in Franklin.