This picture is one of the most important pictures in American history, and one that has been at the top of my mind since news broke this morning that Greta Friedman, the woman pictured in this iconic image in 1945, has died.
This picture was taken immediately after it was announced on a billboard in Times Square that Japan had surrendered to the United. The sailor, overjoyed with the news that he would not have to return to the battlefront, pulled Greta (then only 21 years old), and kissed her passionately. It wasn’t until 1980 that they reconnected and revealed themselves to be the then-famous couple.
This lends itself to a larger realization that, in the minds of all who have viewed this picture, Greta and George Mendonsa will forever be 21 and thrilled with the peace we now take for granted. They were immortalized in this image, but unfortunately not in reality.
After three years of continuous war and fear in America, the deaths of thousands of American young men, and the grim reaper of the draft hovering over so many, this picture perfectly captures the joy of rebirth which remains at the core of the American dream.
as much as we love this pic - it's a little trumpian of the sailor - just sayin'
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