Xavier Malagon Argueta

A TRIBUTE TO MY FATHER:

HOW DO YOU SUM UP A PERSON’S LIFE IN JUST A FEW WORDS? HOW DO YOU SIFT THROUGH A LIFETIME AND CHOOSE WHAT TO HIGHLIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT PERSON WAS SO FULL OF DEPTH AND COMPLEXITY? IT FEELS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE BUT I WILL TRY MY BEST. IT IS WITH A HEAVY HEART WE ANNOUNCE THE PASSING OF MY FATHER.

XAVIER MALAGON ARGUETA MAY JUST BE A NAME TO SOME, BUT TO ME, HE WAS SO MUCH MORE: A FATHER, A SOLDIER, A SON… MY GREATEST SOURCE OF LAUGHTER AND, AT TIMES, HEARTACHE.

XAVIER MALAGON ARGUETA WAS BORN ON JULY 21, 1968, IN SANTA PAULA, CALIFORNIA. THE YOUNGEST OF ELEVEN SIBLINGS, XAVIER WAS RAISED WITH A DEEP SENSE OF FAMILY, RESILIENCE, AND LOYALTY. THESE VALUES WOULD GO ON TO DEFINE THE MAN HE BECAME.

MY FATHER HAD A REMARKABLE ABILITY TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE THE CENTER OF THE WORLD. EVEN WHEN HIS OWN LIFE FELT LIKE IT WAS FALLING APART, HE’D PUSH IT ALL ASIDE TO LIFT OTHERS UP. THERE WAS TRULY NO LIMIT TO WHAT HE WOULD DO FOR THE PEOPLE HE LOVED

I FEEL COMPELLED TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS COMPLEXITIES BECAUSE MY FATHER NEVER PRETENDED TO BE PERFECT. IN FACT, HE WAS INCREDIBLY OPEN ABOUT HIS FLAWS. HE OFTEN USED HIS LIFE AS A CAUTIONARY TALE, ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO MAKE BETTER CHOICES. HE BELIEVED THAT HONESTY AND HUMILITY WERE STRENGTHS, NOT WEAKNESSES. TO HIM, SHINING A LIGHT ON OUR STRUGGLES GAVE THEM LESS POWER OVER US.

HE HAD A NATURAL INSTINCT TO HELP OTHERS, NO MATTER THE COST. I BELIEVE IT WAS THAT DEEP SENSE OF SERVICE THAT MADE HIM AN OUTSTANDING SOLDIER IN THE U.S. ARMY. SOME OF HIS PROUDEST MOMENTS WERE AS A PARATROOPER IN THE 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION. HE LOVED THE ADRENALINE OF THE JUMP EVEN AFTER SUSTAINING A SERIOUS INJURY, HE COULDN’T WAIT TO GET BACK TO IT.

HE SERVED MULTIPLE TOURS IN IRAQ DURING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. FOLLOWING HURRICANE KATRINA, HE VOLUNTEERED FOR DISASTER RELIEF WITHOUT HESITATION. IN THE EARLY 2000S, HE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ONE OF THE FIRST UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES, KNOWN AS “SHADOW,” WITH THE 313TH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE BATTALION.

THROUGHOUT HIS TIME IN THE MILITARY, HE WAS RECOGNIZED FOR HIS DEDICATION AND BRAVERY. HE EARNED THE BRONZE STAR, THE ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL, FOUR ARMY ACHIEVEMENT MEDALS, THE OVERSEAS SERVICE RIBBON, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RIBBON, THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM SERVICE MEDAL, AND A PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION.

AFTER HIS MILITARY SERVICE, XAVIER MADE HIS HOME IN NORTH CAROLINA. HE WAS A PROUD AND DEVOTED FATHER WHOSE LOVE AND SUPPORT WERE CONSTANT AND UNCONDITIONAL. BEYOND HIS SERVICE, XAVIER HAD A DEEP LOVE FOR THE OUTDOORS AND AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE. HE LOVED TO RUN, SPEND TIME NEAR THE WATER, AND FOUND PEACE IN THE SOOTHING SOUNDS OF THE WAVES AT THE BEACH. A TRUE SPORTS FAN, HE ROOTED PASSIONATELY FOR THE LAKERS AND THE DODGERS, AND NEVER MISSED A GOOD BOXING MATCH OR MMA FIGHT. HE FOUND JOY IN SIMPLE PLEASURES, GOOD FOOD, LAUGHTER, AND FAMILY.

BUT IF YOU ASKED HIM WHAT HE WAS MOST PROUD OF, HE WOULD SAY, WITHOUT A DOUBT: BEING A FATHER. AS A PROUD GIRL DAD, HE FULLY EMBRACED EVERY PART OF IT, STYLING OUR HAIR, HELPING US GET DRESSED, AND EVEN JOINING IN ON THE OCCASIONAL TEA PARTY. THERE WAS NOTHING HE WOULDN’T DO TO MAKE HIS GIRLS SMILE.

SOME OF MY MOST CHERISHED MEMORIES ARE OF RUNNING INTO HIS ARMS AFTER SCHOOL, FEELING THE PURE JOY OF HIM LIFTING US UP AND SPINNING US AROUND. IN THOSE MOMENTS, WE FELT LIKE THE MOST LOVED AND PROTECTED KIDS IN THE WORLD.

MY FATHER WASN’T PERFECT, BUT HE WAS REAL AND HE LOVED WITH HIS WHOLE HEART. HE GAVE US MEMORIES THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME, LESSONS THAT CONTINUE TO GUIDE US, AND A LOVE SO DEEP IT WILL NEVER FADE. THOUGH HIS TIME HERE WAS FAR TOO SHORT, THE IMPACT HE MADE ON THOSE AROUND HIM WAS PROFOUND.

WE WILL CARRY HIS SPIRIT WITH US ALWAYS IN EVERY LAUGH, EVERY STORY, AND EVERY MOMENT WE CHOOSE TO LIVE WITH COURAGE, COMPASSION, AND HEART.

THANK YOU, DAD, FOR EVERYTHING. YOU WERE ONE OF A KIND, AND WE WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER.

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