U. S. Navy / National Archives |
When news broke of the coming surrender of Japan, ending World War II, on August 14, 1945, celebrations erupted across the United States. None would become more legendary than the one that took place in Times Square, where in the midst of the jubilation, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured on film a spontaneous kiss between a U. S. Navy sailor and a nurse, a photo that would appear in LIFE magazine two weeks later.
The picture would go on to become one of the most famous photos in history. And yet, in the chaos of the moment, Eisenstaedt never got the names of the sailor and nurse, leaving their identities lost to history. As public interest in the identities of the kissing couple grew, so did the number of claimants to being the“ true” sailor and nurse.
It was not until authors Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi, through many years of exhaustive research, were able to finally identify with irrefutable proof
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the names of the sailor and nurse – a story chronicled in their book, The Kissing Sailor.
George Mendonsa’ s personal story is as compelling as the story behind“ the kiss.”
Mendonsa served throughout the Pacific as part of“ Bull” Halsey’ s Fast Carrier Task Force. The momentary chance meeting between the sailor and the nurse took place when George, on leave from the Navy and on a date with Rita Petry – his future wife – joined the celebrations in Times Square, coming upon a
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young nurse assistant- Greta Friedman.
Nearly seven decades later, both George and Greta are still alive, and George recently offered to share his account of the war and that famous kiss with the American Veterans Center & World War II Veterans Committee.
The following is his story …
I still remember exactly where I was the moment I heard the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
WHILE ALFRED EISENSTAEDT’ S VJ DAY IN TIMES SQUARE PHOTO HAS BECOME THE MOST FAMOUS SHOT OF THE IMMORTAL KISS, THE MOMENT WAS ALSO CAPTURED FROM ANOTHER ANGLE BY U. S. NAVY LT. VICTOR JORGENSEN IN A PHOTO TITLED KISSING THE WAR GOODBYE. DECADES LATER, BOTH PHOTOS WERE USED TO FINALLY IDENTIFY THE“ SAILOR” AND THE“ NURSE.”
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FALL 2015 |
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