You couldn't see the burn scars

Snag runs into Carlos who, it turns out, lives a few blocks away from him in Roslindale:

... When I met him in Copley Square yesterday, he was wearing a bow tie and a sport jacket and looking dapper in a modern sort of way. You couldn't see the burn scars. ...

You may remember Carlos Arredondo as the man who set himself on fire while sitting in the van of the Marines who had just come to tell him his son had died in Iraq. He now lives in Roslindale. Snag writes:

...To those that try to justify all the corruptions, lies, and manipulations of this adminstration I want you to know that I take it personally. As a former soldier you are telling me that you would sacrifice my life (not yours) for a bunch of bullshit. That your cause (not mine) cannot be supported based on its merits. I take it personally as an American, in an all American neighborhood, that you robbed me of one of my all American neighbors. ...