News

Fencing installed at Iwo Jima memorial as crews ‘beautify’ statue

By Dan Egitto
Bronze sculpture of soldiers raising an American flag atop a rocky pedestal at a war memorial, with fencing and construction equipment in the foreground.
Bronze sculpture of soldiers raising an American flag on a tall pole, with a blue sky and construction fencing nearby.
Bronze statue of soldiers raising an American flag, fenced off at a construction site with a tall crane nearby.
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Crews have begun work to “beautify” the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, fencing off the area through early November.

A fence recently went up around the memorial and construction crews were using blow torches today to clean the bronze, locals noted on X.

“The work is part of the ongoing efforts to beautify our nation’s capital under President Donald J. Trump’s Making DC Safe & Beautiful initiative,” the National Park Service told ARLnow. “The work is expected to be completed in early November.”

A previous rehabilitation project at the Iwo Jima memorial concluded in early 2020. It included new engravings, cleaning and waxing of the memorial, in addition to brazing the bronze seams and re-gilding the letters and inscriptions on the base, according to NPS.

As of Thursday afternoon several boom lifts and a handful of workers could be seen around the memorial, which is arguably the most recognizable monument in Arlington and among the bigger tourism draws in the D.C. area.

Dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on Nov. 10, 1954, on the Marine Corps’ birthday, the memorial depicts the six servicemen who raised the flag over Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi in February 1945, the scene captured in Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph.

Sculptor Felix de Weldon’s 32-foot bronze figures were funded entirely with private donations. A flag has flown over the memorial around the clock since a 1961 proclamation by President John F. Kennedy.

About the Author

  • Dan Egitto is an editor and reporter at ARLnow. Originally from Central Florida, he graduated from Duke University and previously reported at the Palatka Daily News in Florida and the Vallejo Times-Herald in California. Dan joined ARLnow in January 2024.