United States Marine Corps memorial near Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Picture and text by Mark R. Hatlie

These pictures were taken on 20 June, 2006 rigth outside Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. I had to visit the statue three times before I could approach it. The Marines were practicing drills on the adjacent field and would not let me approach the memorial. I chose patience over certain death!

The memorial was dedicated on November 10th, 1954 - the first World War Two memorial in the capital - by President Eisenhower. It was designed by Horace W. Peaslee; the sculptor was Felix W. de Weldon. De Weldon had made several smaller versions very soon after the publication of the famous photo by Joe Rosenthal showing six marines raising the flag at the top of Mount Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima. The memorial is often referred to as the "Iwo Jima Memorial," but it is officially the United States Marine Corps Memorial.

The figures are 32 feet high. The flag pole is 60 feet long. The flagpole is slightly more erect than on the original photo.

Of the six men depicted in the photo, three were later killed in the battle. The photo became so famous that the other three men were soon sent on war-bond tours on the home front. Their stories are told in the book, Flags of Our Fathers by the son of one of the survivors.

	This is the view from the front, when coming from the cemetery.
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	The various wars and campaigns in which the Marine Corps has been involved are all listed, including several forgotten episodes, such as in Haiti in 1915, Lebanon in 1958, and the Philippine Insurreciton of 1898-1902.
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	Note that the "War Between the States" is the term used, not the "Civil War."
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