On the evening of October 21st local time, a memorial statue of the Battle of Iwo Jima located at the Camp Kowtik in Virginia, USA, was damaged. The head of one of the soldiers’ statues was smashed off with a hammer, and a 27-year-old male suspect was arrested on the spot.
According to CNN, local police reported that around 10:31 PM local time on the 21st, they received a report of property damage at the Quantico Marine Corps Base. Upon arrival, they found the suspect 'continuing to destroy statues with a hammer', and subsequently arrested him. The estimated damage amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Sulfur Island Battlefield Memorial in Virginia Destroyed CNN
The police said that the suspect is Marco Dorado Soriaño, from Staffordshire, Virginia. He is 27 years old and an illegal immigrant. He has been charged with felony charges including intentional property damage, deliberate illegal intrusion, and destruction of monuments. He is not eligible for bail and is awaiting trial.
White House spokesman Taylor Rogers stated in a statement: “The dreams of this illegal immigrant criminal have come to an end. Soriano has desecrated the brave soldiers and defiled the monument that commemorates their sacrifices.”
She said, “President Trump has secured the border and is deporting illegal criminals who hate their country and American values. Democrats who believe in socialism want to return to a policy of open borders, allowing dangerous illegal criminals to flood communities.”
The monument's head was smashed to the ground with a hammer, CNN reports.
This damaged monument is located about 58 kilometers south of Washington D.C. It is a miniature replica of the Marine War Memorial created by sculptor Felix de Weldon. The original model was based on a classic photograph taken by photographer Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945: six American Marines raising the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima during World War II.
According to the Quantico Marine Corps Base, this statue was also carved from limestone by De Weldon. Compared to Arlington’s 18-meter-high bronze main monument, this is a non-scale replica. De Weldon served in the Navy at the time and began working on this statue in 1945. He completed the limestone replica that same year. The original monument in Arlington wasn’t completed until 1954.
