![]() ![]() Cole reported that: “The exact wording of the inscription has not yet been finally settled, but the following has been suggested, and probably will be accepted: ![]() It was also decided that the pedestal would be five feet six inches high and be constructed of Stony Creek granite. The statue faced north with an unobstructed view to Boulevard de France and the parade deck. Commission of Fine Arts, an independent agency of the federal government that reviews and advises on the design and aesthetics of all construction within the nation’s capital.īy October 1922, a location had been approved at the head of the base’s Civic Center in front of the Hostess House. Lejeune, who immediately asked for advice from the U.S. Cole forwarded the correspondence to Commandant John A. Intrigued, Cole asked for clarification on how Aitken would like the statue exhibited and when it would be completed. Aitken, who had been a captain of a machine gun unit in the US Army’s 306th Infantry Regiment, wrote Cole offering a proposed design for a statue depicting a Marine carrying a heavy machine gun. Robert Ingersoll Aitken was an internationally known sculptor located in the city of New York. Colonel Evans, as well as the president of the National Academy, I have a proposal from Captain Robert Aitken to erect the memorial here at a cost within the amount we have on hand-any sum left over I contemplate using to improve the grounds surrounding the actual location of the site of the statue, putting in walks, etc., to make it as nearly as possible a complete and harmonious whole. By September 1922, the fund had reached nearly $8,000, and Cole reported to Commandant Lejeune that:Īs the result of considerable correspondence and interest displayed by Lieut. ![]() Cole was in touch with the National Academy of Design in the city of New York and had the backing of Marine Corps war veterans, including the highly decorated Lt. He returned to Parris Island in September 1919, and during his tenure, the project was pushed forward. Eli Cole, who had commanded Parris Island in 1918 before being sent to France. The driving force behind the monument was Brig. Though its origins are obscure, it seems that money for a monument to Parris Island Marines who died in World War I was originated “by officers and men in small amounts during the war, for the purpose of erecting a memorial to the marines who were trained at Parris Island and lost their lives during the world war.” While fund raising continued, solicitations went out for sculptors to submit designs. The statue once stood in a prominent location in the center of the base and was the symbol of Parris Island. Before there was the Iwo Jima Statue, there was “Iron Mike.” Erected in 1924 to Marines who fought in World War I, “Iron Mike” pre-dates the depot’s Iwo Jima Statue by 28 years. ![]()
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