The Seabees Memorial is a sculpture and memorial to
Seabee
United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...
s by
Felix de Weldon
Felix Weihs de Weldon (April 12, 1907 – June 3, 2003) was an American sculptor. His most famous pieces include the United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial, 1954) in the Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, US, and the Mal ...
, installed along Memorial Drive near the entrance of
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
. It is administered by the National Park Service as part of
George Washington Memorial Parkway
The George Washington Memorial Parkway, colloquially the G.W. Parkway, is a parkway that runs along the south bank of the Potomac River from Mount Vernon, Virginia, northwest to McLean, Virginia, and is maintained by the National Park Service ( ...
in
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...
.
Congress authorized the placement of a memorial on public land by the Seabee Memorial Association in September 1972. It was dedicated on Memorial Day 1974.
Description
The memorial features panels depicting Seabee missions since 1942. According to the CEC/Seabee Historical Foundation, the bronze
figure at the center of the memorial depicts a "bare-chested, muscular SEABEE, rifle slung over one shoulder, offering a helping hand to a small child."
Gold-colored inscriptions above and below the panels read "SEABEES CAN DO" and "With willing hearts and skillful hands, the difficult we do at once. The impossible takes a bit longer!", respectively.
[ The base which supports the figure sculpture is the inscribed text: "With compassion for others / we build – we fight / for peace with freedom".][
]
See also
* List of memorials and monuments at Arlington National Cemetery
Memorials and monuments at Arlington National Cemetery include 28 major and 142 minor monuments and memorials. Arlington National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. It is ma ...
* United States Navy Memorial
The United States Navy Memorial is a memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine.
It lies on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 7th Street Nor ...
References
External links
George Washington Memorial Parkway – Seabees Memorial
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1974 establishments in Virginia
1974 sculptures
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Military monuments and memorials in the United States
Monuments and memorials in Virginia
Naval monuments and memorials
Outdoor sculptures in Virginia
Sculptures of men in Virginia
Seabees
Statues in Virginia
Tourist attractions in Arlington County, Virginia