Iwo Jima Monument

Technically, this monument is called the United States Marine Corps Memorial.  And it is amazing.  You should definitely see it.  It is right next to Arlington cemetery and you can see it pretty quickly if you absolutely need to.  It is based on the famous photo from WWII in Iwo Jima, but honors the sacrifices of all Marines.

 As T was headed to work on the 23rd I noticed that there were tons of Marines in dress uniforms at the monument (remember we can see the monument as we exit).  Some quick googling let me know that it was the anniversary of the actual flag raising at Iwo Jima.  After I dropped T off I tried to go to the monument, but the parking was blocked off and I ended up being forced on to some freeway and getting completely lost.

So after we went to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum on Saturday (post coming soon) we visited the Iwo Jima Monument.

You can see the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument in the bottom left corner.

You can see the names and dates of all the wars that Marines have fought in.  There were so many that I didn't know about.  The current war has not been added to the monument yet. 

If you can, go at sunset.  It is powerful.

Really, don't skip this one.  It is worth it.