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Carlos Arredondo

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For the Chilean folksinger, see Carlos Arredondo (musician).
Alexander B. Arredondo
Carlos Arredondo at the January 2007 anti-war protest in Washington DC.
Born
Carlos Luis de Los Ángeles Arredondo Piedra

(1960-08-25) August 25, 1960 (age 63)
San José, Costa Rica[1]
NationalityAmerican, Costa Rican
Occupation(s)Peace activist, volunteer, cab driver, truck driver[2]

Alexander Brian Arredondo[3] (born Carlos Luis de Los Ángeles Arredondo Piedra August 25, 1960) is a Costa Rican-American peace activist and an American Red Cross volunteer.[4]

Death of son

Arredondo's son Marine Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo, was killed in Najaf, Iraq, during his second tour of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom on August 25, 2004. Later that day, which was Carlos Arredondo's 44th birthday, the Marines Corps Casualty Assistance Team arrived at the Arredondo home in Hollywood, Florida, to notify the family of their son's death. The Marines had not brought a chaplain with them and notified Arredondo in the front yard of his home. He became extremely upset and agitated; seeing this the Marines refused to leave.

According to Arredondo's account, at this point he called his son's Marine recruiter on the phone:

"My head full of confusion, asking myself what's going on, what's going on, I pounded the hammer hard into the ground, then went behind a tree to cry when I think to call Alex's recruiter, Sergeant Martinez. I have his telephone number in my phone. I call him, explain that I'm Alex's father and ask him to please help me, the Marines are telling me Alex has died. The voice on the other side say, "Sir, sir, you've got the wrong number. I look and the phone say "Sergeant Martinez." Pretty sure it was Sergeant Martinez's voice. I call him back again, and again he hung up on me."

After some time went by, according to news reports, Arredondo was so distraught that he climbed in the Marines' van and splashed himself with gasoline. A propane torch he had brought inside was lit accidentally, Arredondo alleged.[5]

Arredondo was pulled out to safety by the Marines, however his clothes had caught fire and burned 26% of his body. He received second- and third-degree burns. He was hospitalized in a burn unit for two weeks followed by outpatient home-based treatment. Despite his burns, he attended his son's funeral on a stretcher with two paramedics at each side.[6] Arredondo and his wife Melida both spent time as inpatient psychiatric patients.[7]

Arredondo, who once was an undocumented immigrant[8][9][10] and is now a US citizen[11] is originally from Costa Rica. At the time he had no insurance and was self-employed[citation needed] working as a handyman. His story made national and international headlines. His recovery took over a year. Since that time he apologized to the Marines for his drastic actions. He was not prosecuted.[12]

Activism

Arredondo along with his second wife Melida[13] were members of the now defunct organization Gold Star Families For Peace[14] whose mission stated:

We as families of soldiers who have died as a result of war are organizing to be a positive force in our world to bring our country's sons and daughters home from Iraq, [and] to minimize the human cost of this war...

Carlos and his wife Mélida became activists for peace and have had speaking engagements around the country speaking about his personal tragedy and to parents about the methods recruiters use to enlist youth.[citation needed] He especially works to reach out to the Spanish-speaking community.[15]

Both Carlos and Mélida requested during Mitt Romney's governorship to have flags placed at half-staff upon the death of a Massachusetts native related to their war injuries in 2005, a wish that Alex had when he noticed after his first deployment how the public was not noticing the war deaths. They have also lobbied for families' decision to allow press to cover the arrival of their troops' remains from the combat zone, which was a statute since George Bush Sr. presidency.[6]

On December 12, 2006, Arredondo became a U.S citizen, with the help of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy.[16] He became eligible for citizens ship under a 2004 bill which allowed parents of those killed in action to become legal immigrants.[3] He legally changed his name to Alexander Brian Arredondo upon receiving his citizenship.

Attack

On 15th September, 2007, Arredondo was beaten by eight members of the Gathering of Eagles, a right-wing group funded by Ames Research of Jefferson, Oregon during an anti-war march in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C.. Some commenters report that a group of Iraq war veterans and Veterans for Peace protected him. The incident happened when Arredondo was at his truck, which is his memorial to his son, Alexander. The attack was reportedly a result of Arredondo holding the American flag upside down.[17]

Brian Arredondo

On December 19, 2011, Carlos Arredondo's surviving son, Brian Arredondo, committed suicide, after battling depression and drug addiction ever since his brother's death[10][18]. He was 24 years old at the time[19]. Since that time, his father Carlos and his stepmother Mélida Arredondo have dedicated themselves to attending suicide groups sessions and conferences, especially related to military-related suicides. Both have been working with elected officials in the City of Boston and Commonwealth of Massachusetts to change systems regarding suicide policy since Brian's death.[20]

Boston Marathon bombings

On April 15, 2013 Arredondo was at the 2013 Boston Marathon to cheer on runners from organizations that were honoring his two dead sons, and was handing out American flags. At around 2:50 p.m. EDT (18:50 UTC), two bombs were detonated during the race in Copley Square, just before the finish line.[21] Arredondo was photographed helping various victims of the bombings, including helping rush a victim, Jeff Bauman[22], who suffered extensive damage to his legs in the blast to an ambulance, holding the femoral vein in Bauman's leg. Arredondo was a spectator of the race, there to support a runner who was doing the race in memory of Arredondo's son, a fallen Marine.[23]

Two FBI agents came to Arredondo's house and interviewed him.[2] On April 16, 2013, Boston police requested Arredondo's personal belongings on behalf of the FBI. Arredondo gave them the shoes, pants and T-shirt he wore at the race, as well as four photographs he took immediately after the attack.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Busqueda de Cédula Jurídica: 105390668". Registro Civil de Costa Rica. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b Donn, Jeff (17 April 2013). "Marathon rescuer gets attention from press and FBI". Yahoo! news. Associated Press.
  3. ^ a b Levin, Matt (10 February 2012). "A death in Iraq changes Tico family forever". Tico Times.net. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  4. ^ "A father's agony: Son commits suicide on day U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq - seven years after his brother was killed in action". Dailymail.co.uk. January 3, 2012.
  5. ^ "Father who burned self after son's death becomes citizen". LeatherneckTimes.com. Associated Press. December 12, 2006.
  6. ^ a b Lee, Trymaine (1 February 2007). "A Father With a Coffin, Telling of War's Grim Toll". New York Times.
  7. ^ Marquard, Bryan (23 January 2012). "Brian Arredondo, 24; troubled by brother's death, father's trauma". Boston Globe. Boston, MA. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  8. ^ "A Father Transformed by Anguish: Scars Define the Man Who Burned Himself After Son's Death in Iraq". washigtonpost.com. David Finkel. January 15, 2005.
  9. ^ COSTANTINI, CRISTINA (April 16, 2013). "Carlos Arredondo, Grieving Dad Turned Hero in Boston Tragedy". univisionnews.tumblr.com. Univision.
  10. ^ a b Raja, Tasneem (15 April 2013). "The Man in the Cowboy Hat: Meet Carlos Arredondo, a Hero of the Boston Bombings". MotherJones.com.
  11. ^ "Boston Marathon Bombings: Carlos Arredondo is the illegal immigrant who was there to help". anorak.co.uk. Anorak. April 16, 2013.
  12. ^ Kaye, Ken (27 August 2004). "Father of dead Marine won't be charged with setting fire to van". latinamericanstudies.org.
  13. ^ McNamara, Eileen (17 April 2013). "The Redemption Of The Man In The Cowboy Hat". Cognoscenti.org. 90.9 WBUR.
  14. ^ "Gold Star Families For Peace : GSFP Members".
  15. ^ Nereim, Vivian (13 July 2009). "Affected by violence, they walk together is sorrow, hope". boston.com.
  16. ^ Barnicle, Mike (09 December 2012). "The Afghan War Through a Marine Mother's Eyes". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Swanson, David (15 September 2007). "DC Macing, Miami Rallying, and David Cline".
  18. ^ Watson, Leon; Pow, Helen (16 April 2013). "Hero of the Boston bombings: How father who lost his soldier son in Iraq saved lives after blasts rocked his home city". London: The Daily Mail.
  19. ^ Ashlock, Alex (20 December 2011). "Father loses second son". Here and Now. WBUR/Trustees of Boston University.
  20. ^ Wright, Colonel Ann (22 August 2012). "More Costs of War: Suicides and Mental Trauma of Military Family Members".
  21. ^ "Explosions rock Boston Marathon, several injured". CNN. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  22. ^ Rohan, Tim (17 April 2013). "In Grisly Image a Father Sees His Son". New York Times. p. A14. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  23. ^ "Mainers aid marathon wounded". Kennebec Journal. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  24. ^ "Marathon Bombing 'Hero' Questioned By FBI, Police At Boston Home". CBS Boston. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.

External links

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