♪♪
MAN: When they raised that flag,
the troops down below
just went crazy.
♪♪
Ships offshore, all the whistles
were going, and, I tell you,
it was really a proud moment.
♪♪
[ Machine-gun fire, explosion ]
MAN #2: Whenever I see
the American flag displayed,
I think about seeing
what the Marines went through
on Iwo to raise that flag.
[ Gunfire ]
♪♪
MAN #3: The War Memorial is
a moment captured in time
forever.
♪♪
MAN #4: The U.S. Marine Corps
War Memorial, dedicated by
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
on November 10th, 1954,
honors the Marines who have died
in every major conflict
since 1775,
and their comrades
and other service members
who fell fighting beside them.
PRESIDENT REAGAN: All we can do
is remember them,
and what they did, and why
they had to be brave for us.
MAN #5: The monument is a symbol
of dedication...
...devotion...
...commitment...
...duty...
MAN #6: ...and doing so much
to help our country preserve
its freedom, its peace,
its liberty, and its justice.
♪♪
MAN #3: It is a source
of inspiration.
♪♪
MAN #7: We take an oath
to our nation.
There is no expiration date
on that oath.
MAN #8: I -- state your
full name...
TOGETHER: I...
MAN #8: ...do solemnly swear...
TOGETHER: ...do solemnly
swear...
MAN #8: ...that I will support
and defend...
TOGETHER: ...that I will support
and defend...
MAN #8: ...the Constitution of
the United States...
TOGETHER: ...the Constitution of
the United States.
♪♪
WOMAN: We are here to protect
our nation, to protect
the Constitution, protect
our rights.
We are prepared to go
into the worst places.
And we are prepared to fight
not just in the sense of
taking out the enemy,
but we are there
to give humanitarian assistance.
MAN #3: Someone is relying on
you to accomplish your mission.
♪♪
MAN #9: No matter if you were
a Marine in World War I
or World War II or Korea...
MAN #10: ...those rice
paddies and jungles of Vietnam,
or the sands of Iraq
or the treacherous mountains
of Afghanistan...
MAN #9: ...you have a kinship.
♪♪
MAN #11: It's all about taking
care of the guy on your left
and the guy on your right.
MAN #12: The bonding that goes
on in the Marine Corps
stays with ya
till the day you die.
♪♪
MAN #13: They understand that
they cannot allow those
who have gone before
to be let down.
They know they can never let
that legacy die.
That's why history is
so important.
It's part of our ethos.
It's part of who we are.
MAN #7: This is a place that
honors and memorializes
the sacrifice of Marines.
♪♪
Because they are no longer
with us in the flesh,
we must take a moment to thank
their families,
their sons, their daughters,
their spouses, their fathers
and mothers, cousins...
MAN #14: The families...
now, those are the people
who give more...
...that never had that loved one
come home.
They gave more than I ever did.
[ "Taps" plays ]
MAN #7: And we'll be forever
grateful for their sacrifice.
[ "Taps" continues ]
MAN #3: What we want you to do
if we don't come home
is to continue to enjoy
your life because that's
what I was willing
to sacrifice for.
[ Crowd cheering ]
♪♪
ANNOUNCER: This inspired
monument is a tribute to
the indomitable courage
of our fighting men,
and a manifestation
of their faith in America.
This is you...
...and you...
...and you.
Silent, yet it will speak,
speak a universal tongue --
of the past, the present,
and for the future.
♪♪
MAN #15: That flag means
the world to me.
'Cause when I seen that raise up
on Iwo Jima, that was
the best sight I've ever seen
in my life, because
we was seeing so much death,
but yet there's freedom.
I was free.
I might not make it
through the day, but I'm free
right now.
MAN #3: That flag that goes up
over Suribachi represents
all of America.
It represents our ideals,
our morals, our ethics...
our willingness to sacrifice...
to endure hardships in order
to see things through.
That is a great monument
and symbol to
the American people
and the American way of life.
MAN #16: It's freedom, man.
It's freedom pretty much for me.
♪♪