This photo illustration is a combination of two photographs, digitally joined during post processing. The black and white image on the right, part of the United States Marine Corps History Division archives, shows the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va., under construction. The photograph is dated Sept. 16, 1954; the photographer is not credited. The caption reads simply, "Construction of the Iwo Jima Memorial Statue: Putting 3rd group into position."
The color image on the left was taken in a similar location March 30, 2015.
The statue is based on the photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945. Rosenthal won a Pulitzer Prize for the photograph. The statue was sculpted by Felix W. de Weldon. The statue is cast out of bronze in over a dozen pieces, which were assembled in place, according to the National Park Service website.
The memorial was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower Nov. 10, 1954, on the 179th U.S. Marine Corps birthday.
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