Quantico in Prince William County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Molly Marine

Photographed By Kevin W., October 2, 2007

1. Molly Marine Marker

Inscription. On November 10, 1943, the city of new Orleans dedicated the first United States monument of a woman in service uniform: “Molly Marine.” A local recruiter commissioned the statue to help recruit women during World War II. Renowned artist Enrique Alferez, a Mexican immigrant who wanted to be a Marine, donated his services. Due to wartime restrictions, the statue was cast in concrete. In 1998, the Molly Marine Restoration Society was formed by the Marine Corps League, Marine Support Group of New Orleans, and Women Marines Association to restore and preserve Molly in perpetuity. This bronze is a replica of the original which stands proudly in New Orleans. The support and generous contributions of CWO3 Kim T. Adamson (USMCR) and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation made this monument possible.

(On front of statue base) Dedicated To The Women Who Have Earned The Title, Marine
2 September 2000

(On back of statue base) Erected By Molly Marine Restoration Society
New Orleans

Erected 2000 by CWO3 Kim T. Adamson (USMCR), the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and the Molly Marine Restoration Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • War, World II • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is September 2, 2000.

Location.

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38° 31.061′ N, 77° 17.622′ W. Marker is in Quantico, Virginia, in Prince William County. Marker is on Broadway Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2044 Broadway St, Quantico VA 22134, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. H-3-7 Korea 1950 (within shouting distance of this marker); Jordan Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mann Hall (approx. ¼ mile away); Kelly Hall (approx. ¼ mile away); Acquisition of Quantico Marine Reservation (approx. 0.3 miles away); Crusading for Right (approx. 0.3 miles away); Waller Hill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Barber Fitness Center (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Quantico.

More about this marker. This Molly Marine statue is a copy of the original which stands at the corner of Canal Street and Elk Place close to the French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisana. The Quantico statue is the second of two bronze casts made from this original. The first one cast was erected in Parris Island, SC on October 1999. The original 1943 statue was sculpted by Enrique Alferez, who performed his work for free.

Regarding Molly Marine.
QUANTICO TO UNVEIL ‘MOLLY MARINE’ STATUE IN TRIBUTE TO WOMEN IN THE MARINE CORPS
Story by Cpl. James

Photographed By Kevin W., October 2, 2007

2. Molly Marine Marker

Covington

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.(Sept. 1, 2000) — With all the fanfare appropriate for the symbol of female Marines, Quantico will welcome Molly Marine into its ranks during a ceremony at the Marine Corps Research Center Saturday at 10a.m. Quantico’s Molly Marine statue is a bronze replica of the original which stands on the corner of Elk and Canal streets in NewOrleans.

The original Molly Marine statue, dedicated November 10, 1943, was sculpted by Enrique Alferez, a Mexican artist who served as a mapmaker in Pancho Villa’s revolutionary army. Because of wartime restrictions on bronze, Alferez sculpted his statue with granite and marble chips.

“Molly Marine represents the countless contributions female Marines have made to the Corps,” said Capt. Avalon Hevel, a legal assistance attorney with the Staff Judge Advocate and the coordinator for the unveiling ceremony. “She has become a symbol of esprit de corps for all women Marines.”

The ceremony will feature several guest speakers including MGen. John Cronin, commanding general, Marine Corps Base Quantico; MGen. David Mize, commanding general Marine Forces Reserve; retired LtGen. Carol Mutter, the co-founder of the Molly Marine Restoration Society and incoming president of the Women Marines Association; Maj. Carolyn Dysart, the personnel and family readiness officer for Marine Forces

Front of Molly Marine Statue image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Kevin W., October 2, 2007

3. Front of Molly Marine Statue

Statue is approx. 7 ft. high on a 5 foot base.

Reserve; and Mrs. Annie Snyder, one of five models for the original Molly Marine statue. The Marine Corps Band will also play several songs including “March of the Women Marines.”

“The ceremony will honor those first women who joined the Marine Corps,” said Hevel, “Women like Mrs. Snyder and the older generation of women Marines who were pioneers in the Marine Corps. Molly Marine honors the sacrifices they made that allow me to be an active duty Marine today.”

Tomorrow’s ceremony will not be the first unveiling of a Molly Marine replica. Parris Island held a similar ceremony in October 1999.

“Molly Marine symbolizes the sacrifices women have made to earn the title Marine,” said Hevel. “Quantico is where female Marine officers train, and all female recruits are sent to Parris Island to become Marines. Molly Marine has been placed in both places to symbolize the significant roles female Marines have played.”

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Additional commentary.
1. Molly Marine/New Orleans
My mother, Marian Francis Barclay (Coscarelli) was one of the five models used for the original monument dedicated in 1943. She was stationed in New Orleans during the war. She was always modest about it yet proud of her service to our country.

Back of Molly Marine Statue Base image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Kevin W., October 2, 2007

4. Back of Molly Marine Statue Base

Her uniform and picture of the tribute to Lady Marines is displayed in our local museum in Imlay City, Michigan. She passed in 2003. I hope to see the statue some day myself.

— Submitted September 23, 2008, by Louise Coscarelli Topie of Dryden, Michigan.

Left Side of Molly Marine Statue image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Kevin W., October 2, 2007

5. Left Side of Molly Marine Statue

Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 6,849 times since then and 113 times this year. Last updated on May 25, 2014, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 3, 2007, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.