Owner Comments:
On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the raising of two battalions of American Marines, thereby creating the legendary institution today known as the United States Marine Corps. From the Nation’s birth to the present day, the Marines represent a proud culture of service and contribution in defense of the values and freedoms at the heart of the American experience.
According to the Marines Hymn, Marines have "fought in ev’ry clime and place" throughout our Nation’s history. The story of the Marine Corps is the personification of American military history beginning with the American Revolution. The flag raising at Iwo Jima, represented at the Marine Corps War Memorial, is ingrained in the public mind as perhaps the enduring image of World War II.
Today, the Marines continue to exemplify the warrior ethos that has made it a fighting force of international repute. The philosophy of the Corps—and of the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have earned the title "Marine" over the last 230 years—is simply stated in its core values: Honor. Courage. Commitment.
The United States Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, honors all Marines who have perished while defending the United States and liberty around the world and depicts one of the most historic battles of World War II, the battle of Iwo Jima. The famous bronze statue, one of the most recognized statues in the United States and around the world, depicts the February 23, 1945 flag-raising on Mount Suribachi during the World War II battle of Iwo Jima.
The bronze state depicts six 32-foot high figures, five Marines and one Navy corpsman, raising a 60-foot flagpole. A cloth American flag flies from the flagpole 24 hours a day. At a weight of 100 tons and a height of 78 feet, the Iwo Jima statue is the largest bronze statue in the world. The base is concrete and polished black granite.
The Battle of Iwo Jima
On February 19, 1945 about 70,000 Marines invaded the small Pacific Island of Iwo Jima which was under control of the Japanese army. The island was a strategic objective due to its airfield which was used for kamikaze attacks. By capturing the island, the Allied Forces would not only prevent attacks from the island but it would also give them a base from where the Japanese mainland could be reached by B-29 Superfortresses.
Mount Suribachi
One of the first objectives in the attack was capturing Mount Suribachi, the highest point on the island. On February 23, the mountain was almost secured. At around 10:30 am, a small American flag was raised atop the mountain. Later that day, a much larger flag was raised by five Marines and a Navy corpsman. The raising was witnessed by news photographer Joe Rosenthal whose pulitzer prize winning picture of the flag raising would become a symbol of the war in the Pacific. It was soon used by the American government to sell war bonds and to promote the war effort.
The battle of Iwo Jima was one of the bloodiest in the war, with more than 6,800 American and 23,000 Japanese casualties. Of the six soldiers shown on Rosenthal's picture, only three survived the war. The other three were killed during further battle at Iwo Jima.
There are six Flag Raisers on the famous Iwo Jima photo. Four in the front line and two in back. The front four are (left to right) Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, John Bradley and Harlon Block. The back two are Michael Strank (behind Sousley) and Rene Gagnon (behind Bradley). Strank, Block and Sousley would die shortly afterwards. Bradley, Hayes and Gagnon became national heroes within weeks.
The memorial was officially dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on November 10, 1954, the 179th anniversary of the Marine Corps. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued a proclamation that a Flag of the United States should fly from the memorial 24 hours a day, one of the few official sites where this is required.
The Marines of Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. use the memorial as a centerpiece of the weekly Sunset Parade featuring the Drum and Bugle Corps and by the Silent Drill Platoon.