History’ s
Most Famous
VJ Day in Times Square
Nurse and Sailor Share Their Story
Kiss
In 2012, following the publication of The Kissing Sailor,“ The Sailor,” George Mendonsa and“ The Nurse,” Greta Friedman spoke to students at the AVC’ s Annual Veterans Conference & National Youth Leadership Summit.
Around the same time, they appeared on the AVC’ s weekly radio series, Veterans Chronicles, airing weekly on nearly 50 stations nationwide and available online via iTunes.
Their personal stories were just as compelling as the story behind“ the kiss.” While George had seen combat throughout the Pacific, Greta Friedman- then-Zimmer- was an Austrian Jew who had lost her parents to the Holocaust, barely escaping to safety in the U. S.
When news broke on August 14, 1945 that Japan would surrender, George- on his first date with his future wife, Rita- and Greta- working as a hygienist assistant in a dental office- made their way toward the celebrations taking place in Times Square. Their chance momentary encounter was captured on film by Alfred Eisenstaedt, the LIFE magazine photographer who himself had nearly been killed at Flanders during World War I while serving as a German soldier.
The following is adapted from George and Greta’ s 2012 interview on Veterans Chronicles.
Veterans Chronicles: Those of us who weren’ t there can only imagine what it was like in Times Square on August 14, 1945. Tell us about the mood in the city that day.
Greta: Well, it was a very happy mood, very hopeful, because people had been deprived of seeing their own kids that were drafted into the war. When the news came through, I was within walking distance of Times Square. I worked on Lexington Avenue and on my lunch hour, I thought, well, I’ ve got to go there. In fact, I think that any big news was always broadcast on the Times Square building, which went around in lights. It was a fantastic event that we all had been hoping and praying for. We had hoped for the end of the war and that everyone would come home safely and life could go forward. A lot of us had boyfriends, but then they would have to go back to the service that they were attached to, and so it was just hoping that everyone could go back to living a normal life, and not be anxious and worried about our friends that were in the service.
Veterans Chronicles: As you approached the square, what did you notice?
Greta: Well, lots of people were going in the same direction I was going to find out what was going on. I was working in a dentist’ s office and the patients would come in and they would say,“ I think the war’ s ending.” That was the best news that could have been going around. And I had to go to Times Square. I had no choice.
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