More than a finish line

Author: Nikki Herrmann Date: 08/31/2026

After completing his first 5K race at 94 years old in July 2025, Coast Guard veteran and DAV life member Vicente Agor was ready for another. So when he learned about the DAV 5K and its welcoming atmosphere for people of all ages and abilities, his family rallied around him to make the cross-country trip from Westminster, California, to Cincinnati, Ohio, a reality.

A willingness to take on a new challenge was nothing new for Agor. Born in Sarrat, Philippines, in 1930, he spent much of his childhood living through World War II. In the early 1940s, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, he fled his home and hid in rice fields in the mountains for five years. After returning home, he was recruited into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1955 as a steward trainee.

He would go on to serve 30 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, retiring as a chief warrant officer 4. His children, Jeanne and Vicente Jr., said their father viewed his military career as an opportunity to serve the country he proudly called home while building a better life for his family.

But Agor's service didn't end with his military career. After retiring from the Coast Guard, he spent a decade as an Orange County, California, employee, while continuing to dedicate countless hours to serving his community. He advocated for senior citizens, volunteered and remained involved in causes supporting fellow veterans. 

“One of the things he often said was, ‘You never stop serving,’” Jeanne said. “That’s the legacy of both my mom and dad—just a generous spirit, not only financially, but in how they would give of themselves, their time and their passion.”

A DAV life member and longtime supporter, Agor understood firsthand the challenges ill and injured veterans can face and believed in helping ensure others received the benefits and resources they earned. Jeanne and Vicente Jr. shared how they heard from people who told stories of how their father had helped fellow veterans learn about benefits they didn't know were available.

“I think that was important to him—to be able to share his knowledge,” Jeanne said. “He wasn’t going to just keep it for himself.”

To Agor, fellow veterans were family. That connection was one of the reasons participating in the DAV 5K meant so much to him. 

The distance from California to Ohio and Agor's health gave him a moment of pause, but his family assured him they would be there to help. Soon, plans were underway to bring his children and grandchildren together in Cincinnati for the event. They would be on the course with him, pushing his wheelchair, just like they did for his first race in Huntington Beach.

The day before the DAV 5K, the family visited DAV National Headquarters, where Agor toured the exhibits and had the opportunity to speak with DAV staff. 

By race morning, he was ready to experience the event he had traveled across the country to attend and, surrounded by fellow veterans, families and supporters, embraced the energy of the event.

At the starting line, Agor sat in his wheelchair clapping along to the music and smiling as he waited for the race to begin. At one point, Whitney Houston's “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” played over the speakers, and his son Vicente Jr. captured video of his father clapping and doing what he described as “jazz hands.”

“He was smiling and laughing the whole time,” Jeanne said. “He was just grinning ear to ear.”

Throughout the 5K, Agor’s family took turns pushing his wheelchair while Jeanne walked and jogged alongside them, capturing photos and videos.

As the family neared the finish line, Agor's grandsons, Zach and Jake, helped their grandfather out of his wheelchair so he could cross the finish line on his feet.

With his grandsons supporting him, Agor walked across the finish line.

“All these years, my dad helped them in their careers, growing up and watching them, and now they were able to help him cross the finish line,” Jeanne said. “He was a winner in life, and at the end, there they are helping him across.”

The DAV 5K would become one of their final celebrations together. A month after the DAV 5K, Agor died.

Today, the photos and videos from that weekend preserve more than the memory of a 5K. They capture three generations of a family coming together to celebrate a man who spent his life serving others. Vicente Jr. said this was one of the most memorable activities his family had done in many years.

"Little did we know that this was going to be our last family get-together," he said.

Whether participants run, walk or use a wheelchair, Jeanne said the DAV 5K offers an opportunity for people of different ages and abilities to come together in support of America's veterans.

“Everyone is welcome,” Jeanne said. “It was a lot of fun. There was music, and it was just a great time.”

This Veterans Day weekend, gather your family and friends and join veterans and supporters at the DAV 5K to honor those who served and make meaningful memories of your own.