Recruiter donates marrow to help save life Published June 25, 2008 RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Charged with providing opportunities to young people, an Air Force recruiter from Fayetteville, N.C., recently jumped at the chance to provide much more -- a chance to live. In May, Staff Sgt. Bill Arguelles took time off from his recruiting duties at the 337th Recruiting Squadron to donate bone marrow for a 67-year-old male suffering from leukemia. It was four years earlier that he volunteered to be part of the National Marrow Donor Program while he was donating blood. "It was just one of those things, I didn't think I'd ever get the call (to donate)," said the 28-year old. The program allows medical teams from throughout the United States to search a registry and determine possible matches for transplant patients. After finding a preliminary match, program members contacted Sergeant Arguelles in January 2008 as a potential donor. Without hesitation, the 2007 Air Force Recruiting Service Gold Olympiad Medallian award winner underwent several tests to determine if he was the best possible match for the patient. Once the extensive evaluation was complete, the transplant center requested Sergeant Arguelles as a donor match. The Airman was quickly transported to Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., for a detailed health and medical physical as part of the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program. The program supports military people who volunteer as marrow donors by funding all medical fees and travel expenses. Sergeant Arguelles returned to Georgetown University Hospital in May for the four-day procedure. During the procedure, he endured minor pain as doctors collected a small amount of bone marrow from the back of his pelvic bones through two narrow incisions using special needles and a syringe. Despite the discomfort, the Brandon, Fla., native brushes off the "hero" moniker and believes it was important to do this because he had the chance to greatly improve and prolong someone else's life at the expense of two weeks of minor pain. Sergeant Arguelles has returned to work but is leaving the 337th RCS, where he has achieved great success including two consecutive years as the top recruiter in his flight. He reports in the next few weeks to the San Antonio Military Entrance Processing Station where he will serve as a liaison between the MEPS staff and recruiting squadrons in the region. Although knowledge of the recipient is limited for 12 months, Sergeant Arguelles believes he shares a personal connection with the individual beyond the bone marrow transplant since he lost his own grandfather to leukemia. "It was my chance to help someone else have some extra time with their grandfather, hopefully," he said.