BAR On The Beach Memorial - 5th Marine Division
N 38° 32.559 W 077° 20.483
18S E 295944 N 4268624
A monument in honor of the 5th Division who landed and fought on Iwo Jima stands at Semper Fidelis Memorial Park in Triangle, VA.
Waymark Code: WMAYXP
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 03/13/2011
Views: 3
Semper Fidelis Memorial Park overlooks the
National Museum of the Marine Corps
at the Marine Corps Heritage Center in Triangle, Virginia, near Quantico MCB. The park, which sits on three acres, has a series of walkways with memorial bricks, commemorative benches, rally points, and monuments erected in honor of various Marine Corps units and organizations.
Among the monuments is the BAR On The Beach Memorial which honors the 5th Marine Division who landed and fought on Iwo Jima in February, 1945 during World War II. A statue of a marine storming the beach with a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) stands atop a polished black granite base. The statue was done by sculptor Robert Eccleston. who designed it based on the painting BAR on the Beach by Col. Charles Waterhouse. (A picture of the painting can be found by scrolling down here
.)
The inscription on the front of the base:
AND WHEN THE 5TH DIVISION ENTERED COMBAT, IT
ACTED FROM THE FIRST HOUR LIKEA UNIT OF VETERANS. IT
FOUGHT THAT FIRST TOUGH FIGHT WITH THE UTMOST VIGOR,
COURAGE, AND INTELLIGENCE. FEW TIMES IN HISTORY HAS A
FORCE KEPT FIGHTING IN THE FACE OF LOSSES SUCH AS OUR
DIVISION SUFFERED ON IWO JIMA. THE DIVISION FOLLOWED
ATTACK WITH ATTACK. IT CONTINUED TO ASSAULT THE HEAVY
RESISTANCE OF A DESPERATE ENEMY - UNTIL THE LAST SMALL
POCKET ON THE ISLAND WAS OVERCOME.
AS A SINGLE MEMBER OF THE 5TH MARINE DIVISION
WHO WAS GIVEN THE GREAT PRIVILEGE OF LEADING IT IN
TRAINING AND BATTLE, I HERE JOIN WITH ALL OTHER VETERANS
OF THE 5TH IN TRIBUTE TO THE SPEARHEAD.
K. E. ROCKEY
LIEUTENANT GENERAL, USMC
On the back of the base is a plaque with names of contributors.
The monument was installed on November 10, 2010. (A slideshow of its installation can be viewed on Robert Eccleston's website.) It sits along the memorial walkway near the Semper Fi Memorial Chapel and reflecting pool. It was dedicated on February 18, 2011.
The Semper Fi Park and Marine Corps museum are opened daily to the public from 9 AM to 5 PM except for Christmas. There is no admission to any of the facilities.
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