Carlos Arredondo, a native of the inner city neighborhoods of San Jose, has lived an uneasy life. To most of the world, he is known as one of the heroes of the 2013 Boston Marathon terrorist attack, when he valiantly assisted a victim who lost both legs in the bombing.

Photographs of Mr. Arredondo’s brave and unselfish actions made global headlines, and he was eventually invited to the White House in the United States. Sadly, those in Costa Rica who know him as “the gringo from Barrio Mexico” also know that Mr. Arredondo has a heavy heart.

As reported by The Costa Rica Star in late 2011:

As a young man growing up in Costa Rica, Carlos Arredondo remembers watching news about events he couldn’t fully comprehend. The Central American turmoil in the 1980s, the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, the Iran-Contra scandal, and even the American involvement in the Vietnam War. Growing up in a country without an army, young Carlos was afraid that one day the U.S. would invade Costa Rica, since it seemed to him at the time that American foreign policy consisted of invading countries with tropical climates.

 

Carlos left Costa Rica for the United States as a young adult in search of better economic opportunities. He settled and began raising a family. One of his U.S.-born children, Alex, made a brave decision to join the United States Marine Corps at the tender age of 17. Carlos was initially reticent about Alex’s career choice, and he did not sign the necessary paperwork for his underage son to join. Alex’s mother, however, contributed her signature and soon Alex was on his way to boot camp in Camp Pendleton, California. Carlos then decided to support his son and applaud his patriotism and courage, even as he left to fight in Iraq.

 

On August 25th of 2004, Carlos’ birthday, he was at home in Miami while Alex’s grandmother baked a cake. Carlos wanted to get a phone call from his son in Iraq, but instead he got a knock at the door from three solemn Marines decked out in full dress blue uniform regalia. The Marines delivered some very sad news to Carlos: his son, Lance Corporal Alexander Scott Arredondo had been killed by an enemy sniper in Baghdad. The shock of the news drove Carlos to lose his mind and set fire to the vehicle the Marines arrived in, suffering severe burns to half of his body. Once he was released from the hospital, Carlos apologized for his irrational actions and avoided being charged with arson.

The Arredondo family would later suffer another tragedy as the younger brother of the dearly departed Corporal Arredondo could not bear the grief of the terrible loss and decided to take his own life.

Since those fateful years, Mr. Arredondo has lived his life as a dedicated anti-war activist and advocate of U.S. veterans. He is a pacifist who believes that the families of those who serve in the U.S. military deserve dignity and support. To this effect, the newly created Arredondo Family Foundation seeks to provide a helping hand to those experiencing a tragedy and to provide education on matters relating to military, veterans, military families, and the issue of suicide.

The Arredondo Family Foundation also has secured a fiscal conduit. Work Inc. is a non-profit organization (501c3) that will accept payments. One of the early activities of the foundation was to sponsor runners in the 2015 Boston Marathon. To learn more about the foundation and how you can help, visit their website.