For Calantoc Family, Warrior Games Week Marks Competition, Recovery and a New Chapter

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, UNITED STATES

12.31.1969

Story by Vernishia Vaughn 

Army Recovery Care Program

SAN ANTONIO, Texas**– June 13, 2026 –** When retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gene Calantoc returned to the Warrior Games for a second time, he came back as a different competitor.

In 2024, Calantoc was still learning how to move through adaptive sports with speed, skill and confidence. This year, competing with Team Army at the 2026 Warrior Games, he returned with experience, a stronger voice on the court and a deeper understanding of what recovery can become when family, teammates and purpose move with him. For his wife, Miho Calantoc, the difference is visible. She sees it in the way he communicates with his teammates, takes initiative and continues to find light through adaptive sports after a difficult recovery journey.

This week also brought another milestone for the Calantoc family. Alongside competition, they received an ADA-accessible home, a moment they described as an answered prayer and a step toward greater independence.

For Calantoc, not only is Warrior Games week about returning to competition, it’s also about continuing to rise, lead and move forward with his family beside him.

Calantoc served 10 years in the U.S. Army and deployed to Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. In 2020, his life changed following a motorcycle accident that resulted in the loss of his left leg. His recovery began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, making an already difficult journey more challenging for him and his family.

In 2024, he was assigned to a Soldier Recovery Unit for care and later introduced to adaptive sports. Calantoc said adaptive sports helped him begin to see a way forward.

“Back in 2024, I was just getting introduced to all the adaptive sports,” Calantoc said. “I was quick and fast with my wheelchair, but I didn’t know the game.”

Since then, Calantoc has continued playing wheelchair basketball with the Spurs team and attending adaptive sports camps to sharpen his skills. The added experience helped him become more vocal, confident and intentional during competition.

“Now, I know what to do on the court,” Calantoc said. “It’s a lot of communication and knowing your role.” Miho said his growth has been clear since his first Warrior Games appearance.

“He’s less nervous than he was when he first competed,” she said. “He’s more verbal and communicates more with the team. He takes initiative in making sure the team is together.”

For Calantoc, adaptive sports have become more than competition. They help him stay active, connected and focused on moving forward. His motto, “Stay true. When life knocks you down, rise stronger and keep moving forward,” reflects the mindset he continues to carry through recovery.

“That motto is big for me,” Calantoc said. “There’s a day where I’ll get depressed, but that’s only one day. Every day is a new day.”

After the 2026 Warrior Games, Calantoc plans to compete in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Detroit. Staying involved in adaptive sports, he said, helps him remain engaged in life and connected to others.

“I’ve got adaptive sports, and it keeps me busy,” said Calantoc. “It keeps me smiling and enjoying life.”

Miho said she has watched adaptive sports bring light back into his life after a dark season for their family. “It’s amazing,” she said. “We’ve been in a dark space, and adaptive sports brings him so much light. It’s such a blessing to see the difference when he is competing and how brightly he shines.”

The week leading up to the Warrior Games also brought another milestone for the Calantoc family. The family received an ADA-accessible home, a moment both Calantoc and his wife described as life-changing.

“Thinking about it still makes me cry,” Calantoc said. “I really wasn’t expecting it.”

For the family, the home represents more than a new address. It represents safety, independence and relief after years of navigating a house that was not built for Calantoc’s needs.

“A lot of times I’ll take a shower, I’ll slip and fall,” Calantoc said. “I’ll jump in the tub, I’ll slip and fall. This house our family received is really going to change my life. It’s going to make it easier for me.”

Miho said the home is an answered prayer from her side of the recovery journey as his spouse and caregiver. “As a caregiver, there was a lot of worry from my end, especially in the restroom or bathtub,” Miho said. “This takes some of that worry away from me, and it gives him back some of his independence.”

That independence matters, she said, because Calantoc has always wanted to do as much as he can on his own. “I know he’s a very independent person,” Miho said. “Just him being able to get back that independence is so heartwarming for him and for myself.”

For Calantoc, having his wife and children with him during the Warrior Games adds meaning to every event. “When my family is here, that’s big support,” Calantoc said. “I want to say thank you to my wife and my kids being here, supporting me. It’s huge.”

Miho said the Warrior Games represent another goal their family has reached together, with support that extends from their home family to the Team Army family.

“It means we’re able to cherish another memory together as a family,” she said. “No matter what he does, we’re always there to support him. He knows his family has his back and that he’s never alone.”

For their children, watching their father compete has become a lesson in resilience.

“They know Dad’s got it, so we got it too,” Miho said. “He shows them that you can do anything when you put your mind to it.”

Calantoc said that same lesson is something he tries to pass on to others in the adaptive sports community.

“Whatever my knowledge is with the sport, I just want to spread it,” Calantoc said. “I like to help.” His message to others is simple.

“Try all these adaptive sports,” Calantoc said. “You don’t know what you can do until you try it.”

For the Calantoc family, Warrior Games week represents more than competition. It’s another step forward in a recovery journey that has touched their lives, a competitor returning with confidence and a family beginning a new chapter in a home built to support the independence he continues to reclaim.

• Date Taken: 12.31.1969
• Date Posted: 06.14.2026 11:59
• Story ID: 567755
• Location: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US