'Free a Marine to fight'

The Molly Marine statue looks out over Canal Street near the Tulane School of Social Work. The statue, sculpted by Mexican-born New Orleans artist Enrique Alférez in 1943, is the first monument of a woman in service uniform in the United States. Commissioned by Marine Corps recruiter Sgt. Charles Gresham, the statue was used to help recruit women during World War II. The inscription on the base of the statue reads “Free a Marine to fight.”