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The owners of the Marine Military Academy purchased the original mold for the Iwo Jima Statue and moved it to Harlingen, where they regularly paint it to look like bronze. But it’s sand and you can tell if you look close. Taken out of the context of Washington, DC, without the Washington Monument and US Capitol in the background, the statue loses some of its poignancy. But it’s still a beautiful sight to see. At the foot of the statue lies the grave of a local Marine who was in the original photograph on which the statue was based. He was killed in action on Iwo Jima.
Don’t overlook the museum on the other side of the parking area. The small building is crammed with a mish-mash of stuff about the Marines, along with many things specific to Iwo Jima - aerial photos of the island, a relief of the island - you might be surprised at how small the island was, and how jammed full of Japanese fortifications. There’s a 32 minute film on the battle. It’s very interesting, and doesn’t start to go all nationalistic until the end.
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