General Information
How to Get There
From Washington, DC: Follow 16th St NW to K St NW. Turn right onto K St NW. Get on I-66 W from 27th St NW. Continue on I-66 W to Arlington. Take the exit toward Key Bridge from US-50 W/Arlington Blvd. Follow N Meade St and N Marshall Dr to Iwo Jima Acc Rd/U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial Access Rd.
Overview
The United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) is a national memorial located in Arlington County, Virginia. The memorial was dedicated in 1954 to all Marines who have given their lives in defense of the United States since 1775. It is located in Arlington Ridge Park within the George Washington Memorial Parkway, near the Ord-Weitzel Gate to Arlington National Cemetery and the Netherlands Carillon. The memorial was turned over to the National Park Service in 1955.
The war memorial was inspired by the iconic 1945 photograph of six Marines raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II taken by Associated Press combat photographer Joe Rosenthal. Upon first seeing the photograph, sculptor Felix de Weldon created a maquette for a sculpture based on the photo in a single weekend at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, where he was serving in the Navy. He and architect Horace W. Peaslee designed the memorial. Their proposal was presented to Congress, but funding was not possible during the war. In 1947, a federal foundation was established to raise funds for the memorial.
The six Marine flag-raisers depicted on the memorial:
- #1, Cpl. Harlon Block (KIA)
- #2, Pfc. Harold Keller
- #3, Pfc. Franklin Sousley (KIA)
- #4, Sgt. Michael Strank (KIA)
- #5, Pfc. Harold Schultz
- #6, Pfc. Ira Hayes
The memorial consists of front and rear inscriptions, and inscribed in gold letters around the polished black granite upper base of the memorial is the date and location of every United States Marine Corps major action up to the present time.
Front (west side): "Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue" - "Semper Fidelis"
Rear (east side): "In Honor And Memory Of The Men Of The United States Marine Corps Who Have Given Their Lives To Their Country Since 10 November 1775"
Felix de Weldon's and Joe Rosenthal's names are also inscribed on the bottom left and bottom right base of the front side of the memorial. Rosenthal's name was added in 1982.
"Dedicated To The Marine Dead Of All Wars, And Their Comrades Of Other Services Who Fell Fighting Beside Them.
Created By Felix De Weldon, And Inspired By The Immortal Photograph Taken By Joseph J. Rosenthal On February 23, 1945, Atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands.
Erected By The Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation, With Funds Provided By Marines And Their Friends, And With The Cooperation And Support Of Many Public Officials.
Dedicated, November 10, 1954"
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Marine Corps War Memorial", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
