Navy veteran Chris Ring, who is swimming the Mississippi to honor military families who have lost loved ones during the war on terror, will be a special guest at an event in Brainerd next week.
Ring will meet with Gold Star families (those that have lost members in military conflict), veterans and the public July 6 at 10 a.m. at Kiwanis Park in Brainerd. He also will be at a Gold Star honor event July 7 at Camp Ripley.
Interested Gold Star families are encouraged to contact Amy Garber, U.S. Army Survivor Outreach Services at 218-255-6121 or amy.v.garber.ctr@mail.mil for more information on participating.
Ring, along with the organization he represents, Legacies Alive, wants to use the challenge of swimming the entire river to connect as many Gold Star Families as possible across the country.
Ring decided to take on the task of swimming 2,552 miles to help families who have lost sons, daughters, husbands and wives in combat. He plans on swimming about 16 miles a day.
ADVERTISEMENT
"This is something any true American patriot would be drawn to - supporting our fallen heroes, keeping their legacies alive and supporting the families they left behind," Ring said.
Mark Faldowski, co-founder of Legacies Alive, started the organization with Mike Viti in 2014. As the combat veterans both transitioned out of the military after tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, they wanted to do something to help families who lost loved ones.
"We wanted to bring them together and honor the sacrifice they've given," Faldowski said.
That's when they came up with the idea for the first Legacy Challenge: Hiking for Heroes. Viti walked more than 4,400 miles around the United States to honor the 6,843 service members killed during the war on terror.
Ring's swim began Saturday, June 6, the 71st anniversary of D-Day, and Ring said he plans to finish at the Gulf of Mexico on Veteran's Day.
Kevin Cederstrom of Forum News Service contributed to this report.
ZACH KAYSER may be reached at 218-855-5860 or Zach.Kayser@brainerddispatch.com . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ZWKayser .
