audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - The Boston Marathon ends in the heart of a cramped city, on Boylston Street, between a grand public library on one side and an unremarkable stretch of low-rise office buildings, apartments and stores on the other. Carlos Arredondo had just climbed down from a viewing stand on the library side, making his way to the finish line to find a runner he knew, when an explosion rattled the block. The timer above the finish line read 4:09:43. Runners scattered. Smoke billowed out. There was confusion, the thought that perhaps it was some errant fireworks or a gas leak. Thirteen seconds later, another explosion ripped through a crowded sidewalk one block west on Boylston Street. Suddenly, just like the moment when the second hijacked plane pierced the second Twin Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, everyone knew what was happening. Terrorism had returned to American soil. ''Oh my God,'' Carlos said to himself. ''Holy s---.'' Sudden exposure turned a guy in a cowboy hat into the most recognizable hero of the Boston Marathon bombing. But outside the glare of the spotlight, when the hat comes off, Carlos Arredondo faces a dark struggle.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
April 18, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - Boston resident CARLOS ARREDONDO shows a blood covered flag to the media outside his home, just days after the marathon bombing. Arredondo was at the finish line when the blasts occurred and rushed to help the victims.
© NIcolaus Czarnecki/METRO US/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
April 15, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - A bomb explodes in the crowd as runners crossed the finish line during the 117th Boston Marathon. The 2013 Boston Marathon was marked with tragedy when bombs exploded at the finish line.
© Tom Green/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Apr 15, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - Smoke hovers over a chaotic scene of injured people and rescuers along Boylston Street moments after, the 2013 Boston Marathon was marked with tragedy, when 2 bombs exploded simultaneously at the finish line.
© Ken McGagh/MetroWest Daily News/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Apr 15, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - CARLOS ARREDONDO (in hat) helps a severely injured man (JEFF BAUMAN) moments after a bomb explodes in the crowd during the 117th Boston Marathon. The 2013 Boston Marathon was marked with tragedy when bombs exploded at the finish line downtown Boston. Three died, including an 8-year-old boy and over 170 were injured.
© Tom Green/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - CARLOS ARREDONDO holding a big blow up picture of one of his son Alex , during one of his two tours in Iraq. Arredondo enlisted in the Marines when he was 17 years old, a month before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He could have backed out, but didn't.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - CARLOS ARREDONDO is a study in contrasts. He has embraced the spotlight as representative of Boston Strong, a hero in a cowboy hat, since the marathon bombing, but faces a dark struggle after a turbulent past.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
September 16, 2007 - Washington, District of Columbia, U.S. - Standing in front of the White House, CARLOS ARREDONDO from Boston, holds a photo of his 20-year-old son Alexander Arredondo who was killed in Iraq. Thousands of anti-war demonstrators marched from Lafayette Park across from the White House to Capitol Hill to protest the war in Iraq.
© Louie Palu/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.- Mementoes of Carlos' boys fill his Roslindale home, including these dog tags with Alex's likeness. Alex was killed on his second tour in Iraq, shot by a sniper in Najaf.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S. - CARLOS ARREDONDO, often visits the graves of his two sons, Alex and Brian at Rural Cemetery, where they are buried side by side.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - Carlos Arredondo, has a bag full of his son Brian memorial buttons to hand out at charity events.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - CARLOS ARREDONDO and MELIDA walk in memory of Carlos' son Brian, who committed suicide in 2011, at the Samaritans 5K ''Run for Someone Else's Life'' event. Teams raised money for a suicide-prevention group.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
August 6, 2010 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - Gold Star Families for Peace member CARLOS ARREDONDO, carries a makeshift flag draped casket behind his truck and continually makes his story heard in hopes to return all troops home safely. Arredondo has become a famous figure in the opposition of America's recent wars.
© NIcolaus Czarnecki/METRO US/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - Sudden exposure has turned a guy in a cowboy hat, into the most recognizable hero of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. CARLOS ARREDONDO aka Mr. Boston Strong, gets invited to parades, charity events and union banquets.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - Outside the glare of the spotlight, when the hat comes off, CARLOS ARREDONDO faces a dark struggle. ''I like simplicity,'' Carlos says, as he eats leftovers for dinner at his home.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - VICTORIA FOLEY, lifts her hands up as if in prayer. Foley, who is Carlos' first wife and the mother of Alex and Brian, describes her relationship with Carlos as ''toxic.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - CARLOS ARREDONDO thrived on action in Costa Rica, where he worked at the annual bullfights. Years later, he'd return to his homeland to take part in the events wearing an American football jersey, as seen in this photo from a Costa Rican newspaper.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 26, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. - CARLOS ARREDONDO, greets an admirer during a party with Boston Red Sox players after a charity event. In the months since the bombing, Carlos has become Mr. Boston Strong, a teddy bear for a recovering city to hug.
© Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Oct. 4, 2013 - St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. - Mr. Boston Strong aka CARLOS ARREDONDO, holds a 'Boston Strong' sign during pregame ceremonies at Fenway Park.
© James Borchuck/Tampa Bay Times//zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
