Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial

The Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial is located near the Arlington National Cemetery and is also known as the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial. This memorial honors the Marines who have died while defending the US in battle.

The memorial stands at 32-feet high and was inspired by a photograph from the battles of World War II. Iwo Jims is a small island off the south of Tokyo and is the place where the last of the troops were recaptured from the Japanese during the war. The statue is of five Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman raising a U.S. flag signaling a successful takeover of the island.

A cloth flag flies 24 hours a day at the top of a 60-foot bronze flagpole and the base of the memorial is made from Swedish granite which is inscribed with the names and dates of each member of the U.S. Marine Corps who served at Iwo Jima. The memorial is engraved with, 'In honor and memory of the men of the United State Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775. Twelve hands are depicted in the memorial that corresponds to the six men in the memorial; there is rumor of a thirteenth hand that symbolizes either all other Marines who made the flag rising possible, or, the hand of God.

The memorial is open 24 hours a day with a Marine Sunset Review Parade held each Tuesday from 7 to 8.30pm from May to August. The memorial is located on Marshall Drive between Route 50 and the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.