The United States Marine Corps War Memorial, better known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, is dedicated to all marines who have given their lives in battle. It depicts one of the most historic battles of World War II. On February 19, 1945 around 70,000 marines invaded the small Pacific Island of Iwo Jima which at the time 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 gain a tactical advantage.
One of the first objectives in the attack was to capture the highest point on the island, Mount Suribachi. 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 viewed 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 this picture that inspired sculptor, Felix de Weldon, to created a life size model of the photograph. Paid for by donations, it was later cast in bronze and in September 1954 it was brought to Washington, D.C. The memorial was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the 179th anniversary of the US Marine Corps on November 10, 1954.
The 32ft tall figures are shown raising a 60ft high flagpole and are placed on a 10ft high base. All the major Marine Corps engagements are inscribed on the base dating back to 1775.
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 battles at Iwo Jima.
The Iwo Jima Memorial is located near Arlington cemetery, across the Potomac river from Washington, D.C.
