Sledgehammer Used to Damage Iwo Jima Memorial in Quantico
A sledgehammer was used to damage the Iwo Jima memorial in Quantico, inspired by Joe Rosenthal’s photograph. The damage is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair.
A man damaged the Quantico memorial with a sledgehammer, decapitating one of the figures. The suspect has been charged, and restoration is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Quantico Memorial Damaged: Stone Sculpture Decapitated
A monument inspired by Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” was seriously damaged in a sledgehammer attack. Preliminary restoration costs are estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The monument stands near the entrance to the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, before the security checkpoint. It depicts six U.S. Marines raising the American flag on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II. Rosenthal’s photograph served as the basis for the stone sculpture.
On Wednesday evening, October 21, Prince William County police officers responding to the scene found 27-year-old Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, who, according to the police report, was “actively damaging the statue with a sledgehammer.” One of the six figures had been decapitated. The face and helmet of another had been chipped and damaged, while a third was missing the stone rifle bayonet carved behind the figure.
The damage affected several parts of the monument. Police have not yet announced a repair timeline. The U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Foundation has already launched a fundraising campaign to restore the memorial. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published images of the aftermath, including a photograph of the severed head of one of the figures.
Soriano, who lives in Stafford, Virginia, has been charged with felony property damage, trespassing with intent to cause damage, and felony damage to a monument. According to court documents, he remains in custody without bail. His court hearing has been rescheduled for Monday morning, October 26.
The Quantico memorial is located about 36 miles south of Washington. It is a smaller replica of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, created by sculptor Felix de Weldon based on Rosenthal’s photograph. While serving in the Navy, de Weldon began work on the sculpture in 1945 after seeing the photograph. He completed the smaller limestone version for Quantico by the end of that year.
Rosenthal’s photograph, published by the Associated Press and in the public domain, captures the scene on Iwo Jima. An archival photo of the memorial at the base entrance, taken in 2007 before it was damaged, is also in the public domain. The Department of Homeland Security published its report on the attack on October 23, 2026.
