Back in June, a former Navy SEAL named Chris Ring dove into the Mississippi’s murky waters to begin a 2,500 trek down the entire length of the review. In September we provided an update on his journey, which had reached its halfway point when he made to St. Louis.

Now, Ring’s 10-month mission to swim the Mississippi River has come to its conclusion on Dec. 4. He is the first American to ever swim the entire river.

Ring started his journey to raise awareness for a nonprofit called Legacies Alive, which supports gold star families, or families who have lost a member through military service. As he slowly swam across the country, Ring met and spoke with several families along the way. To remember his journey and the people he met, Ring collected signatures on the small boat that floated alongside him as he swam.

“The most important thing right when I crossed (the finish line), I looked over to where the boat was carrying all these gold star families and seeing them just so happy and together was the best experience,” Ring said on his “CBS This Morning” appearance.

“No gold star family wants to be a gold star family, so people should know and respect and really appreciate the sacrifice that was paid,” Ring said. “Really the goal was that you could walk up to anybody in the street and ask what a gold [star] family is, and they’re going to know what it is.”

Though his swim is over, Ring plans to continue to give gold star families a voice.

“Doing this challenge was very humbling,” he said. “I feel lucky and privileged to be able to take it on and just meet these awesome families, just to hear the story of their loved ones … and to just raise awareness for who they were as a person has been amazing … and it’s going to be with me for the rest of my life.”