WE TALK TO ERIN ABOUT THE
HISTORY OF THIS STATUTE, WATCH.
WE ARE HERE WITH NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE RANGER ERIN LARAKA,
MARINE WAR MEMORIAL.
SUCH AN AMAZING STATUTE, ERIN.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE ON
MEMORIAL DAY OF THIS SPECIFIC
MEMORIAL?
>> MOST PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE
THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY THE
WESTERN EXPANSE OF THE NATIONAL
MALL, THIS MEMORIAL DEDICATED IN
1956 THE FIRST WAR MEMORIAL
DEDICATED ON THE NATIONAL MALL
IF YOU EXPAND THE NATIONAL MALL
ON THAT ACCESS ON ARLINGTON
RIDGE WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE
TODAY.
THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATE TODAY
ALL THE MARINES WHO HAVE GIVEN
THEIR LIVES, HAVE MADE THAT
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.
THERE’S NO MORE POIGNANT PLACE
TO BE THAN THE U.S. MARINE CORPS
ON MEMORIAL DAY.
GRIFF: AND WE ARE JUST ADJACENT
TO ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY.
A VERY SPECIAL MEMORIAL TO COME
AND VISIT IF YOU ARE A MARINE
PARTICULARLY ONE, WHOSE FAMILY
PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.
>> I HAVE BEEN HERE ON MEMORIAL
DAY WHEN MARINES COME TO PAY
HONOR TO FALLEN MARINES AND
THEY’VE HAD EMOTIONAL
EXPERIENCES.
ONE GENTLEMAN ASKED IF HE COULD
CROSS THE BARRICADE TO TOUCH THE
MEMORIAL, HOW COULD I SAY NO TO
THAT REQUEST.
HE DID THAT AND WALKED UP AND
PUT HIS HAND ON THE MEMORIAL AND
STOOD THERE SILENTLY FOR A FEW
MINUTES AND WHEN HE TURNED
AROUND HE HAD TEARS IN HIS EYES,
WE DIDN’T EXCHANGE ANY WORDS, HE
JUST WALKED AWAY.
BUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO ALLOW
THAT PERSON TO HAVE THAT
CONNECTION THROUGH THE MEMORIAL
TO OTHER FALLEN MARINES WAS --
WAS VERY SPECIAL.
GRIFF: VERY POWERFUL.
TALK TO ME ABOUT THE INSCRIPTION
ON THE MEMORIAL?
>> YES, SO AS PART OF A RECENTLY
COMPLETED REHABILITATION
PROJECT, WE INSCRIBED TWO NEW
CAMPAIGNS ON TO THE BASE OF THE
MEMORIAL.
ON THE BASE OF THE MEMORIAL, YOU
SEE CAMPAIGN THAT IS THE MARINES
HAVE FOUGHT IN SINCE THE
BEGINNING OF THE MARINE CORPS
WHICH DATES BACK TO BEFORE OUR
COUNTRY WAS ACTUALLY FOUNDED.
AS PART OF THE REHABILITATION
PROJECT, WE ADDED AFGHANISTAN
AND IRAQ TO THE MEMORIAL.
WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE HISTORY
DIVISION TO HAVE MARINE CORPS TO
INFORM WHEN THE PARKS SHOULD ADD
CAMPAIGNS TO THE MEMORIAL.
THEY ASKED US TO ADD THOSE TWO
BUT MARINES ARE STILL DYING,
THEY ARE OPEN-ENDED CAMPAIGNS.
YOU NOTICE THAT THERE’S NO
CLOSED DATE ON AFGHANISTAN AND
IRAQ.
WE WILL WORK WITH THE HISTORY
DIVISION OF THE MARINE CORPS TO
CLOSE OUT THIS CAMPAIGN WHEN --
WHEN NO MORE MARINES ARE LOSING
THEIR LIVES IN THOSE COUNTRIES.
PEOPLE COME HERE TO HAVE AN
EXPERIENCE AT THE U.S. MARINE
CORPS, WAR MEMORIAL TO PAY
TRIBUTE TO THOSE PEOPLE -- THOSE
MARINES WHO HAVE MADE THE
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE AND THE FLAG
FLIES 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A
WEEK HERE, FULL MASS.
BUT THE FLAG RAISING, THE SCALE
IS UNLIKE ANYTHING ON THE
NATIONAL MALL.
GRIFF: NOW THE SIX MEN, WHO ARE
THEY?
>> WE DON’T INTERPRET THESE
PEOPLE AS INDIVIDUALS.
WHAT WE SPEAK TO IS THE EFFORT
THAT IT TOOK ON HIROSHIMA TO GET
TO THIS POINT.
WHAT YOU DON’T SEE IS THE ARMADA
SUPPORTINGSUPPORTING THE FLAG.
IT TOOK 70,000 MARINES TO RAISE
THE FLAG, NOT 5.
GIVE GRIFF THE SCULPTOR, BURIED
IN ARLINGTON?
>> HE IS BURIED IN ARLINGTON AS
THE FLAG RAISERS.
GRIFF: THE FRONT OF THE
MONUMENT, TELL ME ABOUT IT.
>> THERE’S A FAMOUS QUOTE
UNCOMMON VALOR WAS A COMMON
VIRTUE NOT JUST FOR MARINES THAT
FOUGHT IN HIROSHIMA BUT JUST THE
LIKE THE REST OF THE MEMORIAL.
IT’S DEDICATED TO ALL OF THE
MAENCE OVER THE COUNTRY EVEN
THOUGH MARINES DATES BACK TO
WHEN OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED.
SO THIS IS REFLECTIVE OF ALL THE
MARINES THAT HAVE EVER SERVED
AND THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THE
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE TO OUR
COUNTRY.
NORMALLY THIS PLACE HAS OVER A
MILLION VISITORS A YEAR, ABOUT A
MILLION AND A HALF PEOPLE COME
TO THE U.S. MARINE CORPS, WAR
MEMORIAL ANNUALLY.
MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE ON A
PATRIOTIC PILGRIMAGE TO
WASHINGTON, D.C.
SO YOU SEE A LOT OF TOUR BUSES
THAT COME TO THE U.S. MARINE
CORPS WAR MEMORIAL.
GRIFF: THEY COME BECAUSE THEY
KNOW IT’S AN ICONIC MONUMENT BUT
THOSE WHO HAVEN’T VISITED, WHY
DO YOU BELIEVE IT’S ICONIC?
>> ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TAKE ONE
MINUTE TO LOOK AT THE PLACE AND
HAVE THE BACKGROUND OF THE THE
NATIONAL MALL, THE BACKDROP OF
THETHE NATIONAL MALL WITH THE FL
THAT FLIES 24 HOURS A DAY AND 7
DAYS A WEEK.
THE PHOTO THAT TURNED INTO THE
STATUTE OF THE MEMORIAL, THE
MONUMENT IS ICONIC IN ITS OWN
RIGHT AND IT’S A VERY -- THE
PLACE TO HONOR THE COMMITMENT,
THE SACRIFICE OF MARINES THAT
HAVE BEEN MADE ULTIMATE
SACRIFICE.
GRIFF: AND ALICIA, WE HAVE BEEN
SEEING PEOPLE ALL MORNING LONG
DESPITE THE COLD AND RAIN COME
HERE.
WE SAW MARINES IN UNIFORM, WE
SAW FAMILIES AND JUST ABOUT 30
MINUTES AGO THERE WAS A
GENTLEMAN, PRESUMABLY A MARINE,
HE LOOKED FIT ENOUGH TO BE ONE
WAS RUNNING IN CIRCLES AROUND
THE MONUMENT CARRYING A MARINE
CORPS FLAG.
IT’S A SPECIAL MONUMENT
PARTICULARLY FOR A WEEKEND LIKE
THIS.
ALICIA: AND WE THANK ERIN
LAROCCA FOR THE WONDERFUL TOUR
AND EXPLANATION OF THE HISTORY
OF THE MONUMENT.
IT REALLY HIT ME WHEN HE TALKED
ABOUT THE PATRIOTIC PILGRIMAGE
THAT MANY FOLKS MAKE TO THAT
MONUMENT AND WHEN HE SPOKE OF
THAT ONE MAN WHO WANTED TO JUST
CROSS THE BARRIER SO HE COULD
TOUCH IT AND HAVE THAT PHYSICAL
CONNECTION, THAT CONNECTION TO
FALLEN MARINES, WON’T FORGET
THAT ONE, GRIFF.
GRIFF: NOT, INDEED.
IT’S NOT JUST A CONNECTION TO A
LOST FAMILY MEMBER BUT REALLY A
CONNECTION TO A COMMITMENT THAT
THEY MADE TO SERVE THE NATION
AND TO ULTIMATELY GIVE THEIR
LIFE TO DEFEND THE FREEDOMS THAT
MAKE THIS NATION SO SPECIAL AND