Lompoc native dies in Iraq

Cabrillo High water polo star turned airman killed in crash Airman's coach at Cabrillo High: 'He was a wonderful young man'
"He worked exceptionally hard. He never took anythingfor granted."
-- Bob Lawrence, Derek Argel's water polo coach
6/2/05

By NORA K. WALLACE
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Air Force commando Derek Argel, a Cabrillo High School graduate and water polo star, died Memorial Day in the crash of an Iraqi Air Force aircraft just hours after he had been promoted to captain.

The 28-year-old, assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, died with three other U.S. airmen and an Iraqi pilot when their turboprop crashed during a training mission in the eastern Diyala province northwest of Baghdad. The flight reportedly encountered rough weather.

The single-engine Comp Air 7SL, one of seven such planes used by the Iraqi air force for surveillance and personnel transport, was headed to Jalula from an air base in Kirkuk, the military said.

Capt. Argel's squadron performs aviation-related missions on the ground, including the recovery of personnel from behind enemy lines, air traffic control, coordination between ground and air forces, battlefield weather information and combat casualty care.

A 1995 graduate of Cabrillo High, Capt. Argel was the son of former Lompoc Museum director Deb Argel. He leaves behind a wife and a baby son in Florida, where his squadron is based at Hurlburt Field.

"He's a phenomenal young man," said Bob Lawrence, Cabrillo High's athletic director. "He was a wonderful young man."


The former coach's own sons knew Capt. Argel well, and one commented, "Derek was an individual who could make everybody feel like he loved them."


Mr. Lawrence added: "He was 6'6" and I'm 5'10", and I was absolutely dwarfed by him. He always leaned over and hugged me. He doesn't ever leave without saying he loves me."


Other friends described the captain as smart and an "all-around good guy."


On Wednesday, the school's outdoor message board memorialized the airman, along with another Cabrillo graduate, 21-year-old Elizabeth Andersen, who was killed last week in a motorcycle crash.

Mr. Lawrence, who was Cabrillo's water polo coach for 31 years, said the young man started coming to polo practice as a fifth-grader. He became the league's most valuable player and played on the all-CIF team in his final year of high school.

"He knew he wanted to play for us," Mr. Lawrence said. "As far as talent, Derek had to work hard to do everything he did. He worked exceptionally hard. He never took anything for granted."


In his sophomore year, he decided he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy, Mr. Lawrence said, and he began working to improve his grades and test scores. He even attended a preparatory school to improve his SAT results.

Capt. Argel, who played water polo at the academy, graduated in 2001.

In October, he returned to Lompoc to attend Cabrillo's annual alumni water polo game, as he did every year. This time, he brought along his wife and child and left photographs of himself in uniform with his former teachers.

He also spoke to several Cabrillo classes about the Air Force.

"He told them, 'I've enjoyed the training, but I knew all along it's just training,' " Mr. Lawrence said. "He said: 'It's not real. I'm ready now to go and do what I'm trained to do.' I knew then that Derek would be there (Iraq) eventually."


Mr. Lawrence spoke with Capt. Argel's mother on Monday and has received calls from grieving former water polo players. The reaction to Capt. Argel's death has been very emotional, he said. A Lompoc memorial service is expected, possibly later this month.

The military said the crash is under investigation.

Also killed in the crash were Maj. William Downs, 40, of Winchester, Va.; Capt. Jeremy Fresques, 26, of Clarkdale, Ariz., and Staff Sgt. Casey Crate, 26, of Spanaway, Wash. The Iraqi pilot was not identified. Capt. Fresques and Capt. Argel had been promoted to captain the morning of their deaths, according to Lena Lopez, a spokeswoman at Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field.

As of Wednesday, 1,663 U.S. military men and woman have died in the Iraq war. Twenty of them were with the Air Force.


This story includes reports from The Associated Press. e-mail: nwallace@newspress.com