Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: JB73 on August 26, 2004, 03:28:40 PM
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yeah that's the best reaction...
i dont know what to think about this story. i understand the loss is painful, but what would doing this solve?
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=5&u=/ap/20040826/ap_on_re_us/marine_killed_father_burned
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Melida Arredondo said her husband knew what was coming as three uniformed Marines approached their front door. And when they told him Wednesday afternoon that his Marine son, Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo, had been killed in combat in Iraq (news - web sites), police say Carlos Arredondo simply snapped.
Arredondo climbed into the Marine Corps van parked outside his home and set it ablaze, suffering severe burns.
"This is his scream that his child is dead. The war needs to stop," Melida Arredondo, who had rushed home from work when she heard the news, said Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America."
The military had informed her husband that his 20-year-old son, who is Melida Arredondo's stepson, died Tuesday in Najaf, family members said.
The father then walked into the garage, picking up a propane tank, a can of gasoline and a lighting device, police Capt. Tony Rode said. He smashed the van's window, got inside and set it ablaze, despite attempts by the Marines to stop him, Rode said.
The Marines, reservists who are members of a military Casualty Assistance Calls Officer team, pulled Arredondo, 44, from the burning vehicle and extinguished the flames on him, police said. None of the Marines was injured but the van was gutted, officials said.
"The father was in disbelief, same as any of us would be after hearing this kind of news," Rode said. "But then the father basically loses it. You can only imagine what this father was going through. He snapped, to say the least."
Arredondo was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood with burns over as much as 50 percent of his body and later transferred to a Miami hospital burn unit, where he was in serious condition with severe burns to his arms and legs. His wife said he was expected to recover.
Alexander Arredondo, who grew up in Massachusetts, "knew at age 16 that he wanted to go into the Marines," his mother, Victoria Foley, told the Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Mass. She and Carlos Arredondo divorced in the late 1980s.
She told the newspaper she spoke to her son the day he died.
"He said that it was going to get bad, and he was really happy where he was, Najaf. He was upbeat," Foley said.
Melida Arredondo told The Miami Herald that her husband, an immigrant from Costa Rica, "was very proud of Alex serving," though he wished his service would have been during a more peaceful time.
But Luz Marina Arredondo, Alexander's grandmother, felt the government was at fault for her grandson's death.
"I blame them a lot," she said. "They send them like guinea pigs over there."
Rode said it was too early in the investigation to discuss possible charges against Arredondo. "We'll see how he recovers before doing anything," he said.
U.S. forces in Najaf have been battling for nearly five months against Iraqi militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
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This was big news last night. All the local news stations had video of the burning van and the Marines standing around wondering WTF to do next. There goes their ride! (http://funwavs.com/wavfile.php?quote=2471&sound=238)
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Originally posted by JB73
He smashed the van's window, got inside and set it ablaze, despite attempts by the Marines to stop him, Rode said.
3 marines cant stop 1 man?
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Originally posted by Furball
3 marines cant stop 1 man?
Of course they could have, but they did the right thing IMHO. Those Marines had a tough job to do and probably understood the man's pain better then anybody. The last thing they would have wanted to do was manhandle a person who has just been informed, by them, that his son had been killed.
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I hate how people get mad at the Military/Government for these losses like this.....It dishonors what the serviceperson believed in....No one in our Military is forced to be in the military and a bunch of 'em live for the chance to battle. His son VOLUNTEERED for the Marines and according to the article was happy to be in Najaf which must mean he believed in what he was doing. Like I said before his father reacting like that just dishonors his sons memory. Looks like a case of Willful destruction of Government property to me.
Oh and the grandmother's comment is just stupid.
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This definatly sadens me....not just the loss of a brother but at the pain his family is feeling. I really hope this thread doesnt get trampled over.
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Originally posted by Coolridr
...No one in our Military is forced to be in the military...
^^
no one to blame, it was his choice.
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Lol... nice one.
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Dammit Westy - where'd yer post disapear to?
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I deleted it as I realised my sarcasm would never help the intended target see just how ****ing stupid he is.
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there are no words in any language. that will describe the pain of a mother or father, that loses a son or daughter.
going to leave it at that. ^
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Yeah... no.... I don't blame ya.
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Originally posted by DieAz
there are no words in any language. that will describe the pain of a mother or father, that loses a son or daughter.
Amen. This was a very unfortunate situation. The guy snapped.
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Originally posted by Westy
I deleted it as I realised my sarcasm would never help the intended target see just how ****ing stupid he is.
I assume you were refering to my post..If so, how can you judge my intelligence based on my OPINION of the situation..You don't know me.What I said is true, it does dishonor his son's memory and so on. I do feel for his family, and maybe he just snapped, but you can't blame the government for the loss. As a servicemember I knew when I signed up that I could go to war at any time as did he. People die in wars there's no getting around that. I'd like to know what you said. If you post something..leave it up..don't be a pu**y.
If your post wasn't directed at me, then disregard. Just defending my position.
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Originally posted by Coolridr
I assume you were refering to my post..If so, how can you judge my intelligence based on my OPINION of the situation..You don't know me.What I said is true, it does dishonor his son's memory and so on. I do feel for his family, and maybe he just snapped, but you can't blame the government for the loss. As a servicemember I knew when I signed up that I could go to war at any time as did he. People die in wars there's no getting around that. I'd like to know what you said. If you post something..leave it up..don't be a pu**y.
If your post wasn't directed at me, then disregard. Just defending my position.
How can you judge this man? Have you lost a son? Ever have something so tramatic happen to you that you lose all sense of control?
If something like this happens to you, I hope you're not judged as harshly and without compassion as you are exhibiting.
It's just a van. the man didn't go out and shoot up a recruiting office.
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this would have never happened in the MI!!!
Join the Mobile Infantry today!
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Well All I can say is when My oldest brother was Shot down and killed in Viet nam my mother has never been the same and when 2nd brother shot Down, She took some pills and wanted to End her life, That was her breaking point. She lived but never has been carefee woman she once was. I don't think this man was mad at army persay, but decided to take his own life in the one thing that represented his son. He couldv'e just fire bombed van but he got inside then blew it up. No one Losing a child Can handle pain on thier own, This I know for fact. I feel for family and For the servicemen who have a tough job to do now its going to be tougher for them to carry out next time.
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Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo
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Rod367th,
I think you hit it spot on. That father was responding in a moment of pain and trying to rejoin his son. Not rational, but understandable. I hope he recovers from his burns and pray God will ease his pain.
Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo.
to the 3 Marines who responded with restraint and courage in saving the bereaved fathers life.
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indeed.
BTW spitfiremkv... lame.
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Okay first of all
Lance Cpl Arredondo
Second, I think you are getting me wrong. I have alot of compassion for the Father and the rest of the boy's family. The only thing that either of my posts here said was that you can't blame the government for the boy's death, and you have to be responsible for your actions. I have never been one to believe in any form of "temporary insanity" and that is probrably the reason I said what I did. I am not judging anyone and I am not dispassionate.
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Originally posted by Coolridr
Okay first of all
Lance Cpl Arredondo
Second, I think you are getting me wrong. I have alot of compassion for the Father and the rest of the boy's family. The only thing that either of my posts here said was that you can't blame the government for the boy's death, and you have to be responsible for your actions. I have never been one to believe in any form of "temporary insanity" and that is probrably the reason I said what I did. I am not judging anyone and I am not dispassionate.
Coolridr I hope and I pray you never lose a child or someone close to you. You are not rationale for days and in some cases years. When I lost my daughter couple of years ago, I am glad the boy who crashed into her while she was sking. Didn't live near us. I wanted to outlaw snowboards, Bankrupt ski resort and i was mad at paramedics and doctors who couldn't save her. In my mine they couldv'e done more, Was months later When I had to apologize to everyone, And say I'm sorry and thanked them for trying. I blame myself for letting her go sking, I blamed School and Im sure I blamed god to. I got lucky My old bishop from LDS church happen to stop by. And he knocked sense into me with his words. If he didn't or if someone else didn't come along I'm sure my other 4 kids wouldv'e grown to hate me. Because I'm sure they wouldv'e been held to close and to tight.
You can tell that this man loved his stepchild more than some fathers love thier own blood children. I feel sorry for him That his love and pain was so deep he wanted to die. I hope there are more fathers and stepfathers in the world like him.
My responce as the military, would be not to press charges if he lives, but to help him seek medical treatment to over come his pain, And maybe if he was willing to have him meet others who may lose thier child. to help them see his way didn't bring back his child only cause family more pain.
PS " Temporary insanity" Please don't tell me your perfect, That atleast once in your life You didn't do something regretable and after you did you said thats not like me, don't know why i did that.
Some may do little things dumb and wonder why they did something in the heat of the moment, While others snap and go into the deep end.
Will put soap box away.