http://blog.usamm.com/kissing-sailor/
The sailor is still married to the girl in the photo, which is a sign of great devotion and love, considering the media was captured in 1945. The thing is, there’s more than one girl in the photo…and the one that he married isn’t the girl he’s kissing.
On August 18th, 1945, George Mendonsa was a 22 year old, Navy quartermaster on leave from the war in the Pacific. It had been a fine day for George, and his date, a pretty, 20-year old named Rita Petry; a gorgeous summer-day in the city, a movie, a few drinks, and that kiss, which would become one of the most iconic images of maybe all time.
For decades, no one could identify the pair in Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Times Square V-J Day photograph. Although Rita Petry and George Mendonsa were married shortly after the picture was snapped, it wasn’t until the late eighties that Mendonsa had any idea his photo was taken that day. He also had no idea who it was he kissed.
The sailor is still married to the girl in the photo, which is a sign of great devotion and love, considering the media was captured in 1945. The thing is, there’s more than one girl in the photo…and the one that he married isn’t the girl he’s kissing.
On August 18th, 1945, George Mendonsa was a 22 year old, Navy quartermaster on leave from the war in the Pacific. It had been a fine day for George, and his date, a pretty, 20-year old named Rita Petry; a gorgeous summer-day in the city, a movie, a few drinks, and that kiss, which would become one of the most iconic images of maybe all time.
For decades, no one could identify the pair in Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Times Square V-J Day photograph. Although Rita Petry and George Mendonsa were married shortly after the picture was snapped, it wasn’t until the late eighties that Mendonsa had any idea his photo was taken that day. He also had no idea who it was he kissed.
