Navy veteran swims Mississippi River to honor fallen combat soldiers

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Chris Ring, a 28-year-old Navy veteran, wants to honor the families of combat soldiers killed in the line of duty, so he's swimming the length of the Mississippi River from Minnesota down to the Gulf of Mexico.

"Nothing I face is going to equal to the pain and suffering these families have felt," he told KCRG, the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

He started in June and hopes to finish by the end of November. He's been swimming about 14 miles a day. The length of the Mississippi is approximately 2,500 miles long, according to the U.S. National Park Service.

Ring's swim is supported by a nonprofit with the same mission, Legacies Alive, who has been documenting his journey.

Ring explained in a video posted by Legacies Alive that he trained with experts, preparing for hazards such as "boat and ship traffic, wildlife, weather conditions, sickness, the physical toll on the body and the unexpected."

Ring said he's doing it for people like Suzie Rista, whose son was killed by an IED in Afghanistan while he was serving in the Army in 2012. Rista said that coping is harder than many might realize.

"People think that it gets easier as the years go by, and for me, it's harder," she said. "It seems like it's because you realize, he's not coming back."

Rista said she is moved by Ring's determination for the cause.

"It's amazing," she said. "It's absolutely amazing that a total stranger would do that for our family."