Nearly 200 injured service members compete in 2026 Warrior Games

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Army Maj. Jonathan Turnbull was given 12 hours to live after an ISIS suicide bomber attacked his team in Manbij, Syria in 2019. After seven years and 23 life-saving surgeries, he competed in the 2026 Warrior Games in San Antonio, Texas. 

Nearly 200 service members competed in 12 adaptive sports during the 2026 Warrior Games. All athletes have some form of service-related ailments like physical injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairments or PTSD.

The 9/11 attacks inspired Maj. Turnbull to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2004.

“On 9/11, I remember the day. Everybody’s got their 9/11 stories, and mine’s just like everybody else’s,” Maj. Turnbull said. “I was shocked, appalled, horrified, and motivated after the attacks. I wanted to do something to prevent it from ever happening again.”

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For the next 15 years, Maj. Turnbull was involved in several missions to enhance the lives of people living in war-torn areas as a civil affairs officer for the U.S. Special Operations Command.

On Jan. 15, 2019, Maj. Turnbull was supposed to return from deployment in Syria. He decided to stay. 

“The Special Operations Task Force commander called me up a couple of weeks prior and said, ‘John, you guys are getting after it. You’re doing a great job. Would you consider sticking around a little longer, just continuing to work to defeat ISIS?’,” Maj. Turnbull said. “Without hesitation, it was, ‘Yes sir, absolutely. Put me in. Count me in. Let’s do this, you know, for freedom, for justice, for America, let’s go.'”

An ISIS suicide bomber attacked his team in Manbij, Syria the day after he was supposed to go home. 

“It started with a suicide vest. They had further plans after that, but after the suicide vest, it was catastrophic,” Maj. Turnbull said. “I could have been home, but… In the defense of freedom, in defense of America, especially our Constitution, like I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

“There was video footage that had gone off of a security camera. And when I saw it, I had actually seen his truck in the video,” Samantha Turnbull, Maj. Turnbull’s wife, said. “I thought, ‘okay, John’s not here anymore.'” 

The blast killed four Americans and injured two others, including Maj. Turnbull, who lost his right eye and punctured his left eye. 

Doctors gave Maj. Turnbull only 12 hours to live and said that if he survived, he wouldn’t be able to walk, talk or remember things again. 

Nine months after the explosion, Maj. Turnbull ran the Army 10-miler. 

“The doctors had told me that it’s not possible… They took my left thigh muscle up and put it over my right eye socket,” Maj. Turnbull said, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do. Let me show you what I can.”

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“It was really such a cool moment to see. It was definitely a part of his recovery, where I said, ‘You know what? It’s going to be all right,'” Samantha Turnbull said.  “There was a lot of emotion at that finish line.”

Maj. Turnbull is competing in the 2026 ‘Warrior Games’ as a completely blind man. He was team SOCOM’s ‘Ultimate Champion,’ competing in archery, cycling, field, indoor rowing, powerlifting, precision air, swimming and track. 

“Being here and seeing him competing and doing things he has not done before, it’s really a cool thing to see,” Samantha Turnbull said. “I’m, for once, getting to just sit back and take it all in, because it’s kind of like that hug at the end of the finish line where you know what, we’ve done it.”

Before the games, Maj. Turnbull worked with coaches to learn how to overcome his blindness to compete with the rest of the competitors. 

“I can turn a 25-meter pool to a 100-meter pool with these little zigzags going down. I say it in jest, it’s funny, but we talked with the coaches. How do I start swimming straight? Is there a way? How do other blind swimmers do this? And we found a way,” Maj. Turnbull said.

The ‘Warrior Games’ is an eight-day competition for service members in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy/Coast Guard, Air Force/Space Force and SOCOM.

“So I view the ‘Warrior Games’ really as a springboard to what’s next in your life. Ideally, it could be a return to active duty,” ‘Warrior Games’ Director, David Paschal, said. 

Prince Harry visited with athletes on Sunday. He first attended the ‘Warrior Games’ in 2013 when he was serving in the British Army as a helicopter pilot. That visit inspired Harry to create the ‘Invictus Games,’ a similar competition for service members from 25 countries. 

“Next year, for Birmingham, we’re going to bring 48 athletes to the Invictus games,” Paschal said. “We’ll leave right from training camp downrange to Birmingham to participate in the games and represent the USA.” 

In 2024, the Department of Veterans Affairs reported about 17 veterans die by suicide every day. Paschal said the ‘Warrior Games’ is literally saving lives because it shows service members what they are still capable of despite their injuries.