9:55am | No doubt, there were a multitude of inspirational stories of triumph at last weekend’s Los Angeles Marathon, but the one that L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez chose to tell was that of 27-year old Marvin Roxas.
The Iraq war veteran lost his left arm in combat in 2004, and trained for the marathon between counseling developmentally disabled adults at Easter Seals and taking history classes at Cal State Fullerton to become a teacher. He’s also heavily involved with U.S. Vets, a Southern California organization that helps veterans adjust from combat.
Roxas ran the marathon on Sunday to raise money for the non-profit.
U.S. Vets has made a name for itself in Long Beach, where its housing complex Villages At Cabrillo is home to hundreds of veterans and assists them with counseling and job opportunities. Check out this lbpost.com article about Villages from June 2008, and check out the U.S. Vets website here.
Disclosure: lbpost.com publisher Shaun Lumachi is a U.S.VETS – Villages at Cabrillo advisory board member.