Been to a ballet or symphony lately? Maybe you caught a movie with some friends or saw your favorite band play downtown. Chances are you were fixated on enjoying the art and were amazed at how they accomplished such a thing. No matter how effortless it seems, there is always a 'behind the scenes' where you find harried staff, exhausted writers, or weary performers. Good bronze sculpture can be no different. Lets dig through the 'to file' pile of reference material for 'Soul of the Forward and Faithful' and take a look at some of the titles that helped the WWII Memorial come to life.

WWII Memorial 'to file pile'

The 'to file' pile for the WWII US Marine Raider Memorial stands as a tower of research covering topics from historic weaponry to dog anatomy.

'Out of Fire and Valor'

The northeast has some of the oldest sculpture in the United States. This book catalogs some wonderful memorials of New York over the last three centuries.

'Doughboy to GI'

An excellent book on early 20th century Army clothing and gear. WWII Marines used much of the same equipment, some of it circa World War I.

'The Mighty Fallen'

Another beautifully pictorial book on war memorials - this one represents sculptures nationwide.

'Grunt Gear'

'Grunt Gear' is a well-presented catalog of nearly all equipment used by the Marine Corps in WWII.

'Navajo Weapon'

This compelling book chronicles the amazing story of the Navajo and their unbreakable 'code', their native language.

'USMC Uniforms & Equipment'

One can never have enough books on equipment if every detail must be correct or, at the least, defensible.

'Our Kind of War'

As the subtitle states, this amazing book breaks down nearly every facet of the Marine Raiders of WWII, and contains many gripping period photographs.

German Shepherds

The dog of choice in the K-9 units of WWII was the German Shepherd. Studying their temperament is important to fully capture them in sculpture.

Files, Files, and more Files!

Have a sudden thought at midnight or found a shred of research that must be saved? Put it in a file. You'll thank yourself later.