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The United States Marine Memorial, commonly referred to as "the Iwo Jima Memorial," depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II.

Located on Marshall Drive, between Route 50 and Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, VA. Six blocks from Rosslyn Metro station. Open daily, 24 hours. No admission. The memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in defense of the United States since 1775. It was officially dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on November 11, 1954, the 179th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps. This largest cast-bronze statue in the world features 32-foot-tall figures erecting a 60-foot-tall bronze flagpole.

The cloth flag flies 24 hours a day in accordance with a Presidential proclamation of June 12, 1961. The sculpture was designed by sculptor Felix W. de Weldon, then on duty with the U.S. Navy, from the Pulitzer prize-winning photo by news photographer Joe Rosenthal. The M-1 rifle and carbine carried by two of the figures are 16 and 12 feet long, respectively.

The Marine Corps presents the Marine Sunset Review Parade featuring the Drum and Bugle Corp and the Silent Drill Team on Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., May through August. It is free to the public.

Thank you for posting this about the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, VA. Anyone who is in the Washington, DC area from May through August should mark their calendar for the Tuesday Sunset parade held there, and don't forget your video camera.

I drove to Washington this past Sept 12 for the Veterans against Kerry rally (officially the "Kerry LIED... while good men died. Rally" sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans for Truth). A fellow FReeper, Sergeant Dave had asked me to take some photos of the memorial while I was there and I obliged him. I got to the memorial just at sunset that day after the rally and lunch, and it was as stunning as I remember it from years before.

I was fortunate to meet a former Marine, who is also a descendant of the Navajo code talkers and his wife, who happened to be in town on business from New Mexico. We had a great fellowship time and still stay in contact. He taught me how to say "Go BUSH" in Navajo: "Yaego BUSH!". The brotherhood of Marines is exactly as General Monday described it in the beginning of this post!