Latino Marine's 1M Push-Up Challenge Raises Over $33K for Wounded Veterans

It’s not about the physical gain, or the personal one. For Sgt. Enrique Trevino, trying to reach one million pushups in a year was about much more.

“About a week into it, I kinda told myself instead of me just doing this for myself,” he said. “Seeing that I’m in the military, I wanna benefit my brothers and sisters who’ve been injured in combat since 9-11.”

The Mexican-American Marine has raised almost $40,000 for wounded soldiers by saying he will complete one million.

Trevino said he found inspiration in a fellow soldier whose time in the service left him with psychological scars; a problem many veterans face upon returning home.

“I have a close friend now. He’s not physically injured, but he is a wounded veteran. He kind of inspired me to get this whole thing going,” Trevino told Fox News Latino.

The seemingly daunting push-up challenge sprang up initially as a New Year’s resolution. He eventually partnered up with the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that provides a range of free programs to veterans who were injured in combat after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In only a little over 200 days, Trevino has raised more than $33,000. His donation page on the Wounded Warriors Project website keeps track of donors and the proximity to his goal, which Trevino has already doubled from his initial goal of $20,000 to $40,000.

He told FNL that if the new goal is reached and as long as donations keep coming in, he will continue to raise the number.

The Sergeant updates his progress daily and gets the word out about his cause on his project’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

In an article posted earlier this month, the Marine told Fox affiliate WSVN that he generally does an average of 700 push-ups an hour.

With the alarming 2,732 push-ups he must complete a day to stay on schedule, the time commitment can be more of a challenge than the physical task.

“I have a 2-year-old daughter and a two-month-old daughter,” Trevino said.  “I wanna make sure I’m not cheating myself, but at the same time, I don’t wanna be cheating them from spending time with them.”

The father and husband said on days of low motivation, his support system is unparalleled.

“My wife and my family are really supportive,” said Trevino, who lives on a base in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“The Marines around me, they’re really supportive,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll get down and do some push-ups with me.”

“They’re seeing how big it’s getting, and they realize, like I do, that the wounded veterans they do need our support.”

He said he’s not seeking recognize, just help for fellow service members.

“This has never been about me or any recognition for me. It’s about being able to spread the word,” said the Sergeant.

After almost 8 years of committed military service, Trevino summed up his project as reflective of his love for the military and his respect for veterans, especially those who were wounded fighting for their country.

“There are people out there who lost their arms and legs,” he said. “The fact that I still have both arms, both legs, and the fact that I still can push; I might as well keep pushing.”