NORFOLK, Va., May 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) will honor more than 200 wounded military veterans Saturday, June 1, when they stop in Norfolk, Va., as part of their week-long "Ride 2 Recovery" memorial challenge.

Ride 2 Recovery is a rehabilitation program of the Fitness Challenge Foundation that features cycling as its core activity. Bikes are specially designed to suit individual needs. The 325-mile bicycle journey conditions veterans while helping them overcome the physical and mental challenges they face after returning from service.

Participants began their ride on Memorial Day in Arlington, Va., and will finish June 1 in Virginia Beach, Va., with stops along the way in Manassas, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Williamsburg, and Norfolk.

Norfolk Southern employees will host a rally at Harbor Park near the Amtrak Station to support and welcome the veterans.

The NS Cycling Team will ride with the veterans for a portion of their trip. NS Thoroughbred Volunteers will break from their participation in Clean the Bay Day to join the veterans as well.

James A. Squires, NS executive vice president administration and an Army veteran himself, will address the attendees and introduce guests, including a number of mayors from the Hampton Roads area.

The NS Veterans Locomotive will be staged at the event for a photo op, after which its horn will announce the veterans' departure on their home stretch from Norfolk to Virginia Beach.

Mark Courrier, East Coast SEAL and special warfare combatant-craft crewmen scout, said NS' participation is a dream come true. "When the 200 cyclists arrive at the station to see an SD60E dressed in all its glory with the red, white, and blue colors, it will be a true testament that Norfolk Southern is making a difference in the lives of our wounded warriors," he said.

The Veterans Locomotive was specially painted to honor the contributions of those who have served in the military and reserves. Over the past six years, Norfolk Southern has hired some 1,300 veterans, and today 14 percent of the total NS workforce—more than 4,200 employees—are veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserves.

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern