Iwo Jima Memorial

In February 1945, Marines attacked Mount Suribachi in Japan. After fours days of brutal fighting the Marines took the mountain and raised two flags. The first was a small flag to signify that the hill was over-run and America now had a foothold on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Later that day five Marines and a Navy corpsman raised a second larger flag. The raising of this flag was photographed by Joe Rosenthal, a reporter for the Associated Press. Contrary to popular belief this flag raising was not staged. Once the larger flag was in place it was a sign to the Japanese forces that they were slowly but surely being overrun. In the thiry one days it took to secure the island of Iwo Jima 6,821 Americans dies, including three of the flag raisers.

A gentleman by the name of Felix W. de Weldon, an enlisted Navy man, was so touched by the picture by Rosenthal that he constructed a scale model of it. After creating this scale model, Weldon contacted the three remaining survivors who raised the flag. Along with photos of the others who perished, Weldon made models of their faces for the structure. Over three years of molding, bronze casting, and construction led to the monument being placed in Washington, D.C. in September 1954. A few months later, in November 1954, the monument was dedicated to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This work of art is very moving and symbolic to me. The 60 foot tall flagpole with a cloth flag flying on it twenty four hours a day to me tells a story. It tells of the tremendous sacrifice that service members before and after me have and will give to save our nation. Even with all the petty things that I do not like about the military, seeing this monument makes me proud that I chose to serve. This is a constant reminder to the people of our great nation that there will always be men and women who will sacrifice their life to save another.

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