On Memorial Day of 2005, in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala, a surveillance plane on a classified training mission crashed near the Iranian border. The crash killed Air Force captain Derek Argel of Lompoc, along with three other American troops and the Iraqi pilot.
Argel, who had just been promoted that morning, was 28 years old.
More than four years later, on Veterans Day of 2009, Argel’s mother, Debbie Argel-Bastian, remembered her son.
“He was absolutely wonderful. The best son you could ask for,” she said. “The biggest muscle in his body was his heart. He loved his work and his job.”
Argel-Bastian spoke in front of 300 active duty military and family members at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s fitness center. The ceremony was the culmination of the base’s second annual Run to Remember, a three-week event that drew more than 3,000 people—military and civilian—from all over the country. Organizers handed participants black cards with names, photos, and descriptions of each of the 4,800 soldiers who have died during combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then, the participants ran or walked a mile to honor the fallen.
With her 86-year-old mother and her son’s widow, Wendy, who flew in for the event from New Orleans, Argel-Bastian walked the mile loop on the base.
“I was out here to remember all of them,” she said. “They and their families are sacrificing so much also during wartime, and it’s heartwarming that they remember our families and those who have fallen. To see them each pick a card and really think about that person as they were going around was an indescribable feeling.”
The event began Oct. 20 and concluded Nov. 11 with about 300 runners taking part in a final mile-long run in formation. Among them ran a group of 22 youth football players from Vandenberg Village’s Cabrillo Conqs, dressed in their uniforms.
In his hands, their head coach and active sergeant John Chacon held a card for Air Force Technical Sergeant Timothy Weiner, killed in Baghdad on Jan 7, 2007, by an improvised explosive device. Like Weiner, Chacon was also a civil engineer.
“This is the perfect opportunity to honor those who have paid the ultimate price,” he said.
Like Chacon, a majority of the participants were active-duty soldiers, including senior airman Christopher Collins, who came to pay his respects.
“I think it’s a good cause,” Collins said. “It brings everyone’s attention to what we’re doing, but it’s sad at the same time because it’s running for our fallen comrades. Should I fall, I’d want somebody to remember me in some way.”
Participating in his second Run to Remember, Lt. Col. Bob Hassler brought his young daughter Miranda and son Alex to run alongside him. Though he wasn’t personally familiar with any of the war casualties, he ran to support his brothers in arms.
“A lot of people have made an incredible sacrifice to protect what we have here and what we hold dear in the United States,” Hassler said. “I think it’s the least we can do to honor their memories and show that we haven’t forgotten that sacrifice.”
During the closing ceremony, Gen. Larry James addressed the crowd, thanking them for their involvement on their day off.
“To me that’s just indicative of this community,” James said. “It says we support the men and women in uniform, and it says we support Vandenberg Air Force Base and what our men and women in the military are doing.”
The event garnered a significant community response, surpassing the goals of organizers. Overall, more than 7,330 miles were logged and—with each runner asked to donate $5 for each mile—it raised a significant amount of money that will go to benefit wounded soldiers.
“It started out as an idea, and you can see in the second year that it’s really taken hold and blossomed to become an important event in the life of Vandenberg Air Force Base and also the life of our surrounding communities in Lompoc and Santa Maria,” James said. “It was just awesome and inspiring to feel the dedication and the pride that everyone had.”
Chief Master Sgt. Darryl Powell, one of the event’s originators, said the base’s senior officers wanted to do something to recognize the fallen. He said he’s received calls from other military bases looking to put on similar events.
“We’re very happy with the participation,” Powell said. “That’s largely due to the locals. We’ve had a lot of people in the community run, and we really appreciate their support.”
After the closing ceremony, Argel-Bastian, who received a poster honoring her son and others from the Central Coast, was pleased the event had been open to the public and met with such success.
“It’s a really important healing process for everyone,” she said, “for both the military and civilians, because there’s so many people in the community who loved these guys and grew up with them.”
Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas writes to remember. Contact him at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 19-26, 2009.
