The Iwo Jima statue at Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve is one of three original, one-third-scale models.
\nFILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL PISTELLA<\/p>\n
A pivotal battle that resulted in one of the most iconic images of World War II marks its 81st anniversary this week and will be remembered again locally in Cape Coral.<\/p>\n
The Iwo Jima Anniversary Ceremony will take place this Sunday at Eco Park in front of the Iwo Jima monument beginning at 11:30 a.m. presented by the Pfc. Paul E. Ison Detachment 60 Marine Corps League. The Marine Corps League has commemorated the anniversary of the flag raising at Mount Suribachi since the monument\u2019s relocation to Veterans Memorial Park in 1997.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Battle of Iwo Jima was the most costly, bloodiest battle that the Marine Corps had ever been in,\u201d said retired Major Marine Tim Kenney. \u201cWe started this, we probably had about 40 veterans there. The preponderance were Marine, but there was also Army, Navy, Air Force \u2014 and we honor them all, and we can\u2019t forget what they\u2019ve done. We can never say thank you enough, because otherwise, there\u2019s an old saying that those who don\u2019t study history are cursed to repeat it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to be thankful for things and we have to remember that there was a price paid for things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kenny said for those who have never attended an event, and also for those that have never missed one, it\u2019s a day of great significance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year during this event -the emotions from the veterans \u2014 it takes them back and it\u2019s a debt of gratitude and they\u2019re feeling it,\u201d he said. \u201cFor the spectators, those that are relatives and family members, there\u2019s a lot of empathy. They are feeling this. And for the younger ones, like for instance, we\u2019ve had people bringing children, which I think is wonderful \u2014 it\u2019s a learning experience for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The remembrance will feature the Cape Coral Police Department Honor Guard, the National Anthem sung by Senior Vice Commandant Matthew Giambrone, the Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office Firing Party, Guns n Hoses Pipes n Drums, a bugler, and keynote speaker Michael Pederson, a retired Marine Corps Major.<\/p>\n
Following the keynote speaker\u2019s remarks will be veteran recognition, a rifle salute, Taps, a flag folding presentation, and a wreath placement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The day is, of course, a look into the battle itself and what the iconic image that resulted from it meant to millions. Eco Park is home to a massive Iwo Jima monument, one of three crafted from the original molds created by sculptor Felix de Weldon in 1945.<\/p>\n
The Battle of Iwo Jima spanned from Feb. 19 \u2014 March 26 of 1945 where the United States Marine Corps and Navy eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima \u2014 after thousands of casualties \u2014 from the Imperial Japanese Army. The battle is said to have involved some of the most fierce and bloody battles of the Pacific Theater of World War II.<\/p>\n
Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal captured his iconic photo of five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the United States flag atop Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945. That image was transformed into a statue thanks to de Weldon and sits in Arlington, Virginia, dedicated in 1954.<\/p>\n
The Veteran\u2019s Memorial at Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve, which was constructed in 1997, features one of just three original, one-third-scale models \u2014 the two others being in Liberty, Virginia and Parris Island, South Carolina.<\/p>\n
The 20-foot statue was originally at the Rose Garden in 1965, commissioned by community founders, Jack and Leonard Rosen, before being moved to North First Bank in 1980. In 1997, it moved to its current location along the then-newly constructed Midpoint Memorial Bridge. The memorial was also restored in 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u00a0 can go around the country to various Marine Corps bases and see that they have replicas of this,\u201d Kenney said. \u201cOurs is an original. It\u2019s going to be here forever. No one can ever take it, and it\u2019s near and dear, not only to the Marines \u2014 other people see it, and it has meaning to them, too. It\u2019s very special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four Mile Cove Ecological Park Veteran Area is at 2500 Southeast 24th St. <\/p>\n