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I am running this year's Boston Marathon in memory of LCPL Alex Arredondo. This is my first marathon and I am truly grateful that the Arredondo family is allowing me to run in honor of Alex.
Alex or "Dondo" as he was commonly called, joined the Marines at the age of 17 to help pay for college and also out of a sense of duty for his country. His friends fondly remember his ready smile, quick wit, total selflessness and of course, his signature sarcastic sense of humor. His close friend, Lance Cpl. Christian D. Bauzo recalls that," When I first met him, he was really quiet but he was always a happy guy. We came to (BLT 1/4) together and once we started to grow with the unit, he just burst out of his shell. Once he did, he was one of the loudest Marines, always cracking jokes, always trying to make the situation better."
Alex was a very energetic person and enjoyed lively activities such as martial arts, rock climbing, surfing, and snow boarding. He loved his country and was actually somewhat of a ladies man. "He had a thing for picking up girls," claims Bauzo. "He'd go up to a girl and play off their game. The worse they treated him, the worse he treated them, and they loved it. They just couldn't get enough of him. At the end of the night, there he'd go with that girl that at first didn't want anything to do with him."
However there was much more to Alex than just cracking jokes and picking up girls. Alex was an excellent fireteam leader and could always be depended on to do the right thing. Lance Cpl. Jason W. Williams, a machine gunner in Alex's fireteam states that, "He wasn't shy about jumping out there and giving cover fire for Marines, making sure his Marines were safe, making sure that they were getting their food and water. He was one of the best Marines I've known and he was an exceptional fighter." In addition to being a great soldier, Alex also served as a humanitarian while in Iraq. He had a deep seated desire to learn about Iraq's culture and became very passionate about understanding the language and the people in general. When Iraqi children threw rocks at American troops, rather than resent them, Alex tried to change their attitudes. “That’s one thing I will say I gave to him: optimism, which is a good thing to have in this life,” said his mother, Victoria Foley.
Tragically, Alex's life was cut short in 2004 during his second tour of duty. He was barely 20 years old. Although Alex may be gone, his memory continues to live on strong to this day. In August of 2011, with the help of US Representative Michael E. Capuano and nine other legislators, the federal post office at 655 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts was renamed in honor of Alex the “Lance Corporal Alexander Scott Arredondo, United States Marine Corps Post Office Building.” On the right side of this page is a video of Rep.Capuano speaking on behalf of Alex. I would strongly recommend watching it to gain a better understanding of just how dedicated Alex was to his country. By representing Alex in this year's Boston Marathon through Run for the Fallen Maine, I hope to continue to add to Alex's legacy, so that his memory may live on forever in all of us.
The mission of Run for the Fallen Maine, a 100% volunteer organization, is to keep alive the names and memories of our Fallen Heroes from Maine and those that had strong family ties to Maine. Alex spent his childhood in Massachusetts and lived in Bangor, Maine at the time of his deployment. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards Run for the Fallen Maine's scholarship foundation, funds to help the families who have lost soldiers from Maine, and also to help put together the August run event. This year's 5th annual Run for the Fallen Maine will be held August 19th, a run from Ogunquit to Portland to honor these men and their families.
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