To honor the late sons of Boston Marathon bombing hero and Massachusetts-based activist Carlos Arredondo, the City of Boston renamed Jamaica Way Bridge on Thursday morning.
The bridge’s new name, Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo and Brian Arredondo Memorial Bridge, memorializes the lives of the Arredondo sons. Marine Lance Cpl. Alexander Arredondo was killed during his second tour in Iraq in 2004, while his younger brother, Brian Arredondo, took his own life seven years later.
The Arredondo family was joined by Gov. Charlie Baker and Jonathan Gulliver — the acting highway administrator for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation — Bridges for the Fallen founder Rob Mador and various other local officials to honor Carlos Arredondo’s sons.
Massachusetts Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez hosted the ceremony, which took place in Jamaica Plain on the corner of River Road and Huntington Avenue. The bridge, which was hand selected by the family, was just across the way.
Gulliver said during the ceremony it’s symbolic to rename a bridge to celebrate the lives of the Arredondo brothers.
“[Bridges] hold a special meaning beyond their utility,” Gulliver said. “A bridge can be a great source of pride and it serves as a symbol of strength, unity and stability.”
Carlos Arredondo, father to Alexander and Brian Arredondo, said his family chose this bridge in particular because of its ties to the community that welcomed him after immigrating from Costa Rica.
“This is the first bridge, as an immigrant, I crossed to Jamaica Plain when I came to Boston,” Arredondo said. “This is my hometown, Jamaica Plain.”
Arredondo said he hopes commemorating his sons’ lives and legacy will increase military family and suicide awareness.
“This is the beginning, this bridge,” Arredondo said. “This is the beginning of a new beginning.”
While at the podium, Victoria Foley, mother of Alexander and Brian Arredondo, said this was the first time she spoke outwardly about her family’s loss due to her devastation about losing her sons.
“I gave birth to three wonderful boys, and I raised them every day of their lives,” Foley said. “I had to bury two of my boys, and if not for my youngest, Nathaniel, the grief may have put me in the ground as well.”
Baker said the bridge renaming would call attention to problems military families often face.
“This is about the pain that comes from losing a family member lost on the field of combat,” Baker said. “And this is about the consequence that so many families who find themselves in this situation struggle with for the rest of their days.”
Melida Arredondo, Carlos Arredondo’s wife, said in an interview with The Daily Free Press this specific bridge renaming will positively impact the Boston area.
“There aren’t many bridges named for a Latino, and this bridge is being named for two Latino brothers who are half Latino,” Arredondo said. “This is the first time, I understand, that someone who has lost their life to suicide will be getting such distinction.”
Since the deaths of Alexander and Brian, the Arredondo family has been working to prevent military suicide. Through the Arredondo Family Foundation, they offer training for the prevention of military related suicides as well as “postvention” resources for military families who have lost someone to suicide, according to its website.
Several attendees expressed their support for the bridge’s new name.
Bilal Ozaslan, 46, of Melrose, said he ran in the 2013 Boston Marathon and although he doesn’t know the Arredondo family personally, he appreciates all they have done.
“The most meaningful thing for me is being a part of the Boston community,” Ozaslan said. “This is a way for us to recognize and appreciate what [the Arredondo family] did for us, what they sacrificed.”
Austin Scott, 24, of Canton, said he works for the Arredondo Family Foundation and he thinks renaming the bridge does justice for the late Arredondo sons and the Arredondo family.
“As a symbol, I think we need to recognize people more who pass away around here, especially when they are taken in action or through suicide,” Scott said. “People usually focus on the parents and spouses [of military members], so this is a big step in directing the focus to the entire family.”
Joseph Leaston, 42, of Roxbury, said he attended the ceremony as a member of Rolling Thunder, a nonprofit motorcycling organization which supports Gold Star and Blue Star families around the country. As a veteran himself, Leaston said it’s important to him to honor the fallen.
“I have a pocket full of buttons from memorial parks and bridges and things about service members that have fallen,” he said. “They ride with me. They become my guardian angels.”
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