\n JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas \u00a0\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u00a0
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Long after the gunfire stopped, Chief Master Sgt. Jeremy \u201cMop\u201d Mapalo continued fighting.<\/p>\n
The San Antonio native, now serving as the senior enlisted leader for the 49th Security Forces Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, spent years carrying the invisible wounds of combat after surviving multiple deployments, including the Jan. 5, 2020, terrorist attack at Manda Bay, Kenya.<\/p>\n
For years afterward, nightmares, survivor’s guilt and isolation followed him home.<\/p>\n
\u201cPTSD wanted me to itself, tucked in and suffering in silence, reliving the past and carrying the responsibilities of the three Americans that died that day,\u201d Mapalo said.<\/p>\n
The emotional toll nearly cost him his marriage and left him questioning his identity beyond the uniform.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost my identity,\u201d he said. \u201cNinety percent of people knew the rank and uniform, but they didn’t know Jeremy. My family missed me, and my goal on this recovery journey was to find myself again.\u201d<\/p>\n
That journey began to change when Mapalo was introduced to the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program, known as AFW2.<\/p>\n
While often associated with Warrior Games, AFW2 is much more than a sports program. The congressionally mandated initiative provides personalized support to wounded, ill and injured Airmen and Guardians through recovery care coordinators, caregiver resources, mentorship,
\nadaptive sports opportunities and transition assistance.<\/p>\n
For Mapalo, one of the program’s greatest benefits was discovering a community that understood invisible wounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community was a reminder that I’m not alone,\u201d he said. \u201cThat’s what I was missing. There was no judgment, just people who understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
That support extended beyond him. Through AFW2, his wife became part of the program’s caregiver network, gaining access to education, resources and other spouses navigating similar challenges.<\/p>\n
The AFW2 caregiver program supports family members and loved ones who provide daily care and assistance to recovering service members. Caregivers are invited to the games where they receive education, resources, lodging, and meals, provided by the Fisher House Foundation. <\/p>\n
“The families are the unsung heroes,\u201d said Jose Martinez, caregiver lead for AFW2. \u201cIt\u2019s about the warrior, but if it wasn\u2019t for the caregivers, they wouldn\u2019t want to be here. They don\u2019t want to be anywhere without their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
The caregiver support helped rebuild communication and understanding at home, something Mapalo credits as a turning point in both his recovery and marriage.<\/p>\n
Adaptive sports soon became another powerful tool in that recovery.<\/p>\n
Each year, AFW2 hosts Air Force and Marine Corps Trials, where approximately 180 wounded, ill and injured athletes compete in adaptive sports ranging from track and field and archery to wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball and cycling. Coaches evaluate athletic performance, teamwork, resilience and leadership throughout the week-long event.<\/p>\n
From that field of competitors, approximately 40 athletes are selected to represent Team Air Force at the Warrior Games.<\/p>\n
Mapalo earned a spot and competed for Team Air Force in 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdaptive sports keep me present in the moment where I’m not reliving the past,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I’m training, that’s all I’m focused on. It gives me something to work toward, something to get better at.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, his teammates selected him to serve as Team Air Force captain, a distinction that carries special meaning.<\/p>\n
Unlike traditional military appointments, Team Air Force leadership positions are chosen by the athletes themselves. Team members cast votes for the individuals they believe best represent the team’s values, resilience and commitment to supporting fellow warriors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea they would vote for me,\u201d Mapalo said. \u201cFor so many years, I was just trying to figure out how to give myself grace. To see others trust me and vote for me was amazing feedback on how far I’ve come in my recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
His fellow athletes also selected a co-captain to help lead the team throughout the competition: Master Sgt. Jason Ostberg, the explosive ordnance disposal flight chief for the 902d Civil Engineer Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.<\/p>\n
“I was dumbfounded and speechless,” Ostberg said of the selection. “In that moment, I felt like I was enough. I felt like I was not alone.”<\/p>\n
Like Mapalo, Ostberg carried his own invisible wounds. A veteran of multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Ostberg competed in the 2025 and 2026 Warrior Games as part of his ongoing recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw a lot of things that nobody should have to see, and I lost some great friends,” Ostberg said. “I started abusing alcohol and fell into a pretty dark hole. But the Wounded Warrior Program shined a light in that darkness. It showed me there was a ladder I could use to climb out.\u201d<\/p>\n
That turning point happened in the pool. Ostberg recalled his first adaptive swimming event, describing a profound sense of belonging he hadn’t experienced in nearly two decades.<\/p>\n
“I knew exactly where I was supposed to be,” Ostberg said. “I finally fit in.”<\/p>\n
For Mapalo, the Warrior Games represent far more than medals or competition.<\/p>\n
Athletes from across the Department of War gather annually to compete, but the event also serves as a visible reminder of recovery, resilience and shared experiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn’t matter what service you’re part of,\u201d Mapalo said. \u201cWe’re rarely shaking hands; we’re giving each other hugs. We know what it feels like to struggle, and we’re here to pick each other up.\u201d<\/p>\n
That support proved especially meaningful after a recent deployment to Jordan, where regional conflict triggered many of the same emotions he experienced years earlier in Kenya.<\/p>\n
When those invisible wounds resurfaced, the people checking on him most often were fellow warriors.<\/p>\n
\u201cEighty percent of my messages were from the Wounded Warrior family,\u201d Mapalo said. \u201cThat’s when I realized this is the family that’s going to keep me alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, both Mapalo and Ostberg continue their recovery journeys as AFW2 ambassadors, competing for Team Air Force and mentoring others facing similar struggles. Their message to service members battling invisible wounds is straightforward:\u00a0you do not have to fight in silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t be afraid to ask for help,\u201d Mapalo said. \u201cThere’s a community that will not judge you, that can relate and that will cheer you on toward recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ostberg agreed, noting that taking that first step is often the most difficult part of the journey.<\/p>\n
“Reaching out and showing up is the hardest and biggest step you can take in recovery, but it will be the best one you ever take,” Ostberg said. “If I could do this forever, I would.”<\/p>\n
As Mapalo\u2019s military career begins to wind down, he looks forward to returning home to San Antonio and spending more time with his family. He says the Warrior Games and the AFW2 program helped restore something he feared he had lost forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Warrior Games gave me back the Air Force pride I’d been struggling to accept for years,\u201d Mapalo said. \u201cI’m finally getting hope, and I’m finally learning to give myself grace.\u201d<\/p>\n