Air Force Veteran returns to the Golden Age Games with strength, faith and fight

Terrence “Terry” Munoz hadn’t competed in powerlifting in more than 20 years. Life had brought injuries, retirement, family, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and two battles with cancer.

Still, when he learned about the National Veterans Golden Age Games, one thought kept returning to him: “I think I got one more meet left in me.”

Strength beyond the barbell

At 58, the Air Force Veteran from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, arrived in Tampa representing the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System in Charleston. A former C-141 loadmaster, Munoz said fitness has been a constant throughout his life, even when gyms were hard to find during deployments to places such as Somalia and the Middle East.

Today, strength means far more than numbers loaded onto a barbell.

For Munoz, resistance training is discipline. It is recovery. It is spiritual balance. It is a way to fight back when life adds weight that cannot be measured in pounds.

Recently diagnosed with cancer for the second time, Munoz said VA doctors caught it early and worked with him so he could compete before beginning radiation treatment.

“They told me, ‘Go compete in Tampa. Go make your mark. Go do your thing,’” Munoz recalled.

That support has meant everything.

“VA saved my life more than once,” Munoz said. “Now I get to live life in support of other Veterans.”

At the Games, Munoz found more than competition. He found smiles, energy and a familiar sense of belonging.

“There’s an understanding,” Munoz noted. “There’s a spirituality to it. And in the end, you take your game face off. You’re all friends again.”

His return to powerlifting is not about chasing the man he used to be. It is about honoring the man he is now, a husband, father, Veteran and fighter still willing to step onto the platform.

One more lift

Munoz said his strategy is simple: complete the first lift, trust his training and walk out on his own power.

“When that weight feels inhuman, and your brain screams, ‘What are you thinking?’” Munoz encouraged, “It’s time to take it for a ride.”

For other Veterans, Munoz’s message is just as straightforward.

“Put your game face on. Compete. Take it off and smile,” Munoz encouraged. “Enjoy the camaraderie. That’s what we’re here for.”

After two decades away from competition, Munoz didn’t come to Tampa looking backward. He came to test himself, represent South Carolina and stand with fellow Veterans. Because, as he put it, “that weight isn’t going to lift itself.”