Carlos Arredondo came to the Boston Marathon to honor his son who was killed in Iraq, but ended up being hailed as a hero for his actions Monday.
After the explosions, the mourning father channeled his grief into heroism when he tended to wounds that resembled the ones that claimed his boy's life.
Arredondo was waiting to greet the National Guard runners and a suicide support group, organizations that honor his two dead sons, ABC reports.
Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo died in Iraq in 2004. His other son, Brian, battled years of depression after his brother died and committed suicide in 2011.
The dual Boston Marathon bombings that followed shocked everyone, but Carlos Arredondo showed courage with his immediate response.
He immediately ripped away the snow fence and scaffolding that separated him from the struggling victims and started helping the critically injured.
"My first reaction was to run toward the people," he told ABC after the fact.
"There was just so much commotion and a lot of people running away. I was one of the first to help people and God protected me. It was horrific."
In one stunning photo that's become an iconic image of his incredible heroism , Arredondo appears to be pinching closed a severed artery from a victim.
He also used his own clothes as towels to keep victims from bleeding out.
"I kept talking to him. I kept saying, 'Stay with me, stay with me,'" he said.
Since his son was killed in Iraq, Arredondo changed courses completely.
He quit his full-time job and now believes his purpose is to honor the fallen and protest the war, according to The New York Times. Quite a human being.
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