Whidbey Island petty officer will attempt world pullup record

A petty officer stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for “Most Pullups in 24 hours” on July 26.

A petty officer stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for “Most Pullups in 24 hours” on July 26.

Mike McCastle said he is performing the feat to raise awareness and funds to assist service members who have been injured in the line of duty.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the nonprofit organization Wounded Warrior Project, and will support a full range of programs and services for this generation of injured veterans and their families.

“It’s not about the record,” said McCastle in his new release. “It’s not about the war. It’s about the warrior. Twenty-four hours of discomfort does not compare to the sacrifice our wounded service members and their families make every day.”

The event will be held at Fort Nugent Park in Oak Harbor at 6 a.m. when McCastle will begin performing pull-ups for 24 hours straight in an attempt to break the current world record which, according to Guinness, is 4,030 set by Navy SEAL David Goggins.

The event will host live music, vendors, a raffle and other activities to help raise awareness and donations in support of the Wounded Warrior Project.

More than 47,000 servicemen and women have been injured in the recent military conflicts, according to a news release from McCastle.

In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Another 320,000 are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment.