Smooth Yeti
#BostonStrong
(Source: frangry)
“love is a place” - e. e. cummings
The other half of the poem is on my other arm, it reads:
yes is a world& in this world of yes live
(skillfully curled)
all worlds.
Both tattooed by Anabela at Way Cool Tattoos in Kitchener, Ontario!
She’s the best :)
Interview with one of the most identifiable heroes of the horrible day in Boston: Carlos Arredondo
This amateur interview with a shaky Arredondo shows a first hand account of what it was like to be around the blast site closest to the finish line Monday afternoon. Arredondo became famous for his heroics when he was photographed holding the exposed leg artery of a victim shut (GRAPHIC) as they rushed him to an ambulance.
But the story of Carlos goes much deeper. As a spectator at the marathon, Arredondo was there to watch a man run in memorial of his son, Marine Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo, who died fighting in Iraq on Carlos birthday: August 25, 2004.
After his sons death, Arredondo became distraught and attacked the government van that arrived to tell him the grim news and tried to light himself on fire. There were no charges pressed, and from then on Carlos and his wife Mélida became anti-war activists. They joined the now defunct group “Gold Star Families For Peace” in an effort to bring light to the atrocities of war and bring troops back from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Arredondo and his wife attended and spoke at many anti-war engagements around the country, bringing light to their family’s tragedy and warning parents to be wary of the sometimes shady recruitment tactics of the armed forces toward their children, especially toward minorities. During a 2007 anti-war march in Washington D.C., Arredondo was beaten by right-wing groups after reportedly “holding a flag upside-down.”The Arredondo family bares another tragedy in 2011 when his surviving son Brian committed suicide, reportedly related to the greif of losing his brother. This prompted the Arredondo’s to commit themselves to become advocates for veterans and their families by attending suicide prevention groups and conferences that specifically address issues related to military suicides. Since then, the Arredondo family has also been frequenting Veterans for Peace events, speaking on the effects of war on veterans and now more than ever, the effects of war on the families of veterans.
What a story from a man who has endured so much. Look at his shaking hands in this video.Justin wanted me to link to this — and I see no reason not to.
- Lacey: I feel like we've had this conversation before
- Erin: I feel like we've had every conversation
- Lacey: we spend a lot of time together
