The USMC War Memorial

The U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial stands in Arlington National Cemetery as a symbol of this Nation's esteem for the honored dead of the United states Marine Corps and is dedicated to the honor of all marines who have sacrificed their lives in defense of this country.

The statue depicts one of the most historical events of World War II. On February 19th 1945, the 4th and 5th Divisions of the United States Marine Corps landed on the Japanese controlled island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean. On February 23rd, after four days of fighting and the loss of nearly 6,000 Marine lives, a six-man detachment climbed to the summit of Mount Suribachi and raised an American flag. Photographer Joe Rosenthal captured the flag raising.

His photo so moved the American people that a cry was made to immortalize the event. Inspired by the photo, Sculptor Felix de Weldon, who was serving in the United States Navy, created a model of the flagraising from floor wax used for the ship's decks. The model drew such attention that he was asked to create a life size sculpture, which he did. This work came to be known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. This was followed by his life-size sculpture of the event that became known as The Iwo Jima Memorial. The statue was subsequently displayed around the country and became a driving force in the war effort.

Soon the artist embarked on the creation of the 48-foot monument, which was to become the Marine Cops War Memorial, the largest bronze statue in the world. The creation of the plaster model took nearly six years. The monument's six soldiers are actual statues of the six flag-raisers. The three flag-raisers who survived the battle posed for the artist. They were Marines Pfc Ira Hayes, Pfc Rene Gagnon and PhM. 2/c John H. Bradley, USN. Marine Sgt. Michael Strank, Cpl Harlon Block and Pfc Franklin Sousley had lost their lives on Iwo Jima. De Weldon used photographs of the three to recreate their facial features for the monument. Military uniforms and gear were used as models for the statue. The artist first created the unclothed bodies of the figures accentuating the strained muscles of the arms and legs. Uniforms were then modeled over the limbs dramatically showing the cloth clinging to the soldiers' bodies.

When the model was completed it was disassembled in de Weldon's Washington DC studio and trucked to the foundry in Brooklyn, N.Y. The casting process took nearly three years. The many parts were then assembled into approximately twelve large pieces-the largest weighing more than 20 tons- and trucked to Washington, DC. In route telephone and electrical wires had to be moved, roads closed and traffic rerouted for the three-truck convoy.

The memorial was erected in Arlington National Cemetery and dedicated on November 10, 1954.
The bronze figures are 32 feet high with a 60 foot long flagpole. They stand on a 6 foot rock slope and 10 foot granite base. Inscribed on the base are the words “In honor and in memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775." The United States Marine Corps War Memorial is America’s greatest symbol of strength and sacrifice.

For more information about the Sculptor Felix De Weldon, visit www.felixdeweldon.com

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