The United States Marine Corps War Memorial, commonly called the Iwo Jima War Memorial, is located in Arlington Ridge Park, in Arlington, Virginia.

The memorial stands in honor of all Marines who have served their country past and present, and in particular homage to those who have died in their tours of duty.

There were two flag raising's on Mt. Suribachi on February 23, 1945. The first was taken by Staff Sergeant Louis R. Lowery and shows a Marine standing guard while other Marines hoist a small American flag on an improvised pole. (This image is also on this site).

The image to the left is the second flag-raising that occurred on February 23, 1945. It was taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the image, and later became the model for the memorial design. The importance of this second image was the way it resonated with the U.S. Marines as they continued their thirty-six day invasion, boosting the morale in battle. Many viewers have interpreted the flag raising as a sign of victory but the battle went on until March 26, 1945. By the time the battle ended, three of the six men in the photograph would be dead, and a fourth, would be injured.

The island of Iwo Jima is eight square miles and Mt. Suribachi is its highest point. The Marines fought the Japanese for more than a month on Iwo Jima and suffered 25,851 casualties, almost 6,800 of them fatalities. Of the 353 Medals of Honor awarded during World War II, 27 of them were awarded for action on Iwo Jima. Taking the Island was necessary to keep the Japanese from reporting Allied movements as they advanced towards Tokyo. The American's planned on using the base as a source of fighter escorts for the B-29's that would bomb Japan. The capture of the island was a seminal moment in the Pacific war front, turning the tide in the American forces favor.

As important as it was to the Marines in battle, the Rosenthal image resonated equally with those at home. The image quickly became iconic and inspired sculptor Felix de Weldon to fashion a three-dimensional model of the event. It was this model that was adapted by architect Paul Franz Jaquet initially, and later by Horace W. Peaslee, for use as the memorial to the Marine Corp's dead of all wars.

Medium : 1 Photographic print : gelatin silver

Created/Published : March, 1945

Creator : Joe Rosenthal, photographer, 1911-2006

Housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.

Availability: Usually ships in one week

Product #: cph3g04835