All while the City of Vicksburg and several organizations that support Gold Star families were planning a warm and festive welcome for this brave, strong veteran destined to swim the Mississippi River from start to finish, the Warrior Bonfire Program was orchestrating a top secret mission! With all the pomp and circumstance, the last thing we needed was for the word to get out of our plans and find masses of people invading one our most sacred and protected Bonfires. Our circles around the Bonfire are created for a very specific group, those that have our hearts because of their Purple Hearts.

Chris Ring, retired Navy Seal, was the first American to swim the entire length of the Mississippi River as part of the Legacies Alive 2015 Challenge. This remarkable feat was all in honor of Gold Star families, survivors of those we have lost in battle. Chris Ring and his crew stopped to gather with us for a Bonfire and Dinner on the banks of the Mississippi with some of our Purple Hearts. We felt an incredible sense of responsibility as we were trusted by Legacies Alive to be apart of this 2015 Challenge, by honoring all of our Gold Stars in the most respected way at the Bonfire, while retiring an American Flag in their honor.

The surviving family member of our Gold Stars continue to pay the ultimate price for the freedoms our citizens enjoy, everyday. They have lost their loved ones in battle and are left to carry on without them. Children of these brave men and women that gave their lives have to travel through life, growing and finding their way without a parent to help guide them. Please visit LegaciesAlive.com and consider helping in anyway that you can.

To see more photos from this treasured Night on the River with Chris Ring, click here.
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