Members at Pell City Fitness gave blood, sweat, and tears to raise money for the Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home in Pell City, but owner Scott Campbell knows that it’s no where near what those veterans sacrificed.

“We wanted to keep the money local and help our veterans,” Campbell said. Scott Campbell, the owner of Crossfit Logan Martin and Pell City Fitness, is also a Warrant Officer in the U.S. National Guard.

Instead of cooking out or relaxing on the lake on Memorial Day, members of Pell City Fitness were participating in the Murph Challenge, raising a total of $3,192.62 for local veterans.

The Murph Challenge, named for U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005, was created in 2014 to raise funds for the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

Over 70 people participated in the Murph Challenge and area businesses and individuals donated to the cause.

The Murph Challenge consists of a one mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats and another one mile run, all while wearing a 20 pound vest or body armor.

Scott Campbell and Elana Weems, fitness coach at Pell City Fitness, presented a check to the Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home last week, meeting local heroes that served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

One of those local heroes was Hillman Prestridge, who was in the first wave at Omaha Beach in World War II. He was part of the U.S. Army Amphibian Forces and just returned from a D-Day celebration in Virginia with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

Another was David M. Cox, who served on a LCI gunboat in Okinawa and spent 29 days on Iwo Jima in 1945. Frank Bauman served in the U. S. Army during Vietnam and retired in 1978 after 20 years of service.

Ali Conn, Director of Activities at the veterans home said they are going to purchase a soft serve ice cream machine to put in their cafeteria area.

“I love the irony of it,” said Campbell. “They earned it.”