NORFOLK, Va. — Dedication, focus and determination.
These are all qualities Caleb Jones developed during his years of service in both the Army and Air Force. But after suffering a traumatic brain injury, he relied on these and other traits gained while on active duty.
Caleb explained how his life suddenly changed, and the physical, psychological and emotional challenges he faced.
"I got a head injury. I had to walk around in the old batman thing, I couldn't turn my neck for awhile. Then I started to have some other symptoms and stuff come up. I had really bad anxiety, which I still deal with today. And I actually developed narcolepsy. Lots of things started to happen there, It's been tough, but I am working through it," he said.
The injury prevented him from pursuing his dream of serving in the Air Force Honor Guard, and it even strained personal relationships outside of the military.
But Caleb found hope, purpose and motivation through athletic competition.
"The doctors that I've seen, most of them tell me that being involved in sports really helps with the mental health part of everything. It allows me to stay competitive and you know... stay in the flight. So it's pretty cool," Jones said.
Caleb got into adaptive sports through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program.
Through hard work and perseverance, Caleb not only competed, but was very successful in many different events. So much so that he was named an Ultimate Champion for the Air Force in the Wounded Warrior games.
In addition to training extensively and working a new job, he is getting finances lined up for a house.
So for Military Dream Week, 13News Now worked with the USO to help ease Caleb's load.
We presented him with $800 in gift cards as a way of saying, "thank you for serving our country."
When Thompson Creek Window Company heard about Caleb's story, they were also inspired by his journey. So they gave him another $500 gift card.
"We know you will put it to good use chasing your dreams. We completely support you, we're proud of you, and we want to thank you for your service not only to our country, but to our community, and everything you're doing," said Titus Turner, a representative of Thompson Creek Window Company.
13News Now and the USO had one more surprise to help this Ultimate Warrior "stay in the fight" with his training... for his cardio training on bad weather days, Caleb was also provided with his own indoor training cycle!
We look forward to hearing how he does in his upcoming competitions!