Farmingdale Greendogs dedicate tourney to former league player
When your only son is killed in a conflict in a foreign land, you don’t need Memorial Day to remind you of the loss.
But the holiday served as a way to recall and honor a young man from Farmingdale who found purpose in the aftermath of September 11 and at age 22 made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country.
The 18U Farmingdale Greendogs squad of the Farmingdale Baseball League dedicated their Memorial Day weekend tournament opening game to James Argentine, who participated with the league’s younger teams during his elementary years. His parents, Bob and Janet, attended the contest at the ballfield adjacent to the BOCES Carman Road School in Massapequa Park.
“It’s an every day thing,” Bob said of the pain and sorrow, recalling the memory of August, 2009. He was at home when a 1st sergeant and a staff sergeant visited to deliver the news that Marine Lance Cpl. Argentine had been KIA in Afghanistan. Argentine and three others from his battalion died when a bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Farah province.
(Photo by Frank Rizzo)
Janet was at work, and Bob had to make the hardest phone call of his life.
Asked why his son had joined the military, Bob responded, “I think a lot had to do with what happened on 9-11.”
That Tuesday, Argentine’s first day at St. Anthony’s High School, greatly affected the freshman; a number of his friends lost their parents in the terrorist attacks.
Like most parents, the Argentines had reservations about their son enlisting. He joined the USMC in 2006, a year after graduating from St. Anthony’s and after completing two semesters at SUNY Oneonta. “It was his life and it was his choice, and he always seemed interested in the military, so it wasn’t a surprise [when he joined],” Janet said.
Bob said that he still harbored anger, and as for his wife, “I’m working through it,” Janet responded, and a day later emailed the following comment: “The difference between the rage I held onto for several years and today is that I am learning to live in the present moment. That and meditation make life much easier in adapting to such a shattering loss and finding serenity. I am not naive enough to believe the anger is all gone…but it’s a process, and dissipation comes at a good pace since I’ve implemented these practices in my life over the last couple of years.”
According to his mother, “James loved reading, writing, and music. He was a guitar player and he and his friends would practice together—he could tell me more about the classic rock music from my teenage years than I could remember or maybe even ever knew! He had a great way with words, with writing—such a unique perspective. And he was an insatiable reader. He really loved Stephen King’s books, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Road Less Traveled, the Harry Potter books and so many others. He loved to watch TV, movies, and play video games.”
Argentine had the same wide-ranging taste in music: classic rock, the Frank Sintra-Dean Martin Brat Pack, blues, opera and BB King (“Bob and I took him to two of his concerts at Westbury,” said Janet),
His favorite band of all was GlassJaw—a Long Island band.
Added Janet, “He had a huge sense of humor, loved practical jokes, had the best smile and laugh ever, was kind and thoughtful, a great listener, friend to many, full of love for life and others, and the most wonderful son. And he was a great Mets fan.”
Argentine’s high school principal, Brother Gary Cregan, told the Farmingdale Observer at the time of the alumn’s death that he “was a notable and noteworthy student, especially in his involvement in stage crew.…That was the one area where he spent the bulk of his free time serving. Anything that involved staging, we relied heavily on James. This was fairly indicative of the kind of quiet service he was capable of. Which brings me to the type of service he provided for his country.”
Janet thanked coach Tim Fierst for arranging the game in her son’s memory, and made note of the four or five years when James was an aspiring baseball player.
“I made it to just about every practice and game and really enjoyed watching the boys work each new season to play as a team,” she commented.
She was also grateful to the Farmingdale community, writing, “The village was and continues to be so tremendous in its response and outpouring of support to us—beyond description, really, how truly beautiful this community is.”
“He was a great kid, someone you could be proud of,” summed up Bob.
“He had so many friends and people who loved him,” said Janet. “He affected so many lives.”
Brief Military Life
Argentine joined the Marines in October of 2006 and reported to Hawaii in January 2007. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Hawaii.
His first deployment with the 2nd Battalion was from from January to August 2008 in Iraq.
Argentine’s awards include the Purple Heart Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
