The United States today celebrates Memorial Day, and in Costa Rica the American expat community often gathers to observe the men and women who gave their lives while serving in that country’s Armed Forces.

The American Legion Post 16 in Escazu is named after Sergeant First Class Raymond Edison Jones, Jr., United States Army, who was killed in action in Iraq. SFC Jones was a high-ranking non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division. He died in 2004 when his unit came under attack by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade, a weapon that was a staple of urban warfare in Iraq. The surviving parents of SFC Jones are from Costa Rica, and his mother still lives here with his younger siblings.

The abolished military in Costa Rica moves some Ticos to serve in armed services abroad, particularly in the United States. In the past, The Costa Rica Star has reported on some of these brave Ticos who have took the oath of service in the U.S. Armed Forces and bravely fought and honored their oath with the ultimate sacrifice.

Here are the stories of two young men from Costa Rica who are no longer with us, but whose service is deeply appreciated by the American people. May they rest in eternal peace:

Lance Corporal Alexander Scott Arredondo, United States Marine Corps

Carlos Arredondo 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 American-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. 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 Costa Rica Star took a closer look at the tragic story above in the article: How the Iraq War affected two Tico families, published last year as the American troops were leaving Iraq.

Staff Sergeant Andrew Trevor Britton-Mihalo, United States Army

Staff Sgt. Andrew Trevor Britton-Mihalo was born in San Jose, Costa Rica and raised in Simi Valley, Ventura County, California. He was 26 years old and is survived by Jesse Britton, who is also an enlisted non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the United States Army.

The incident in which Staff Sgt. Britton-Mihalo was killed resulted in the death of an Afghan translator and two other members of the coalition forces in Afghanistan. The attacker was a member of Afghanistan’s security forces, and he was assigned to an elite unit whose members are trained by NATO instructors.

Staff Sgt. Britton-Mihalo was engaged in a night raid along with other special forces soldiers, both NATO and Afghan. At some point during the operation, an elite Afghan soldier opened fire on his own patrol element. The attacker was killed at the site.

The Costa Rica Star reported on Staff Sgt. Britton-Mihalo’s unfortunate death and the troubling incidence of “green-on-blue” attacks in Afghanistan, where tension and cultural differences among Afghan and NATO soldiers are believed to be at the root of ghastly practices such as fragging and shootouts in which the enemy is not involved.

The Ticos mentioned above were killed in action, but Memorial Day observes all the dearly departed who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Many veterans come to Costa Rica to live out the rest of their lives in a peaceful nation. Today is their day of remembrance.