SIGforum
RIP George Mendonsa. You don't know the name, but you know the picture.
February 18, 2019, 03:17 PM
4x5RIP George Mendonsa. You don't know the name, but you know the picture.
https://www.usatoday.com/story...are-dies/2904579002/ 
quote:
The man in the iconic photo of an exuberant Navy sailor kissing a woman in New York City's Times Square at the end of World War II has died.
George Mendonsa, 95, had a seizure and fell in an assisted living facility in Middletown, Rhode Island, his daughter, Sharon Molleur, told the Providence Journal. He lived there with his wife of 70 years, Rita, and died Sunday, two days short of his 96th birthday.
The photo was taken Aug. 14, 1945, which is known as V-J Day, the day Japan officially surrendered to the United States in World War II. Published in Life magazine as "V-J Day in Times Square," it came to represent how joyful Americans and people across the world felt at the end of the war, in which 406,000 Americans died and 671,000 were wounded, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
When photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped the picture in 1945, he did not document any information about the photo's subjects, and their identities were a mystery for years. Even today, people have used everything from 3D face scanning to the position of the sun in the photo to try to determine exactly whom the couple was.
Mendonsa kissed dental assistant Greta Zimmer Friedman, mistakenly thinking she was a nurse in the war because of her uniform. She came to represent the 342,000 women the Census Bureau says served in the war as pilots, nurses and more.
Friedman reached out to Life in the 1960s after seeing the photo in a book of Eisenstaedt's photography to notify the magazine it was her in the picture. The magazine told her it was another woman until 1980 when representatives contacted her and she met with Eisenstaedt, according to an interview with the Library of Congress.
Mendonsa's claims were verified by a 2012 book titled "The Kissing Sailor: The Mystery Behind the Photo That Ended World War II," although some are still skeptical.
Friedman died in 2016 at 92 years old after a struggle with pneumonia. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with her husband.
Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice - pull down your pants and slide on the ice.
ʘ ͜ʖ ʘ February 18, 2019, 03:38 PM
az4783054That image and the image of the Marines raising the flag over Iwo Jima are both iconic.
In today's politically correct world a strange man grabbing and kissing a woman like that would be viewed as an assault.
Exploring another galaxy.
February 18, 2019, 03:59 PM
CQB60American icon. RIP shutterbug
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Life is short. It’s shorter with the wrong gun…
February 18, 2019, 06:44 PM
bald1quote:
Originally posted by CQB60:
RIP shutterbug
Eh? He didn't take the picture. He was IN the picture!
Certifiable member of the gun toting, septuagenarian, bucket list workin', crazed retiree, bald is beautiful club!
USN (RET), COTEP #192
February 18, 2019, 06:45 PM
Gustofer#metoo
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"Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton.
February 18, 2019, 07:10 PM
SpinZonequote:
Friedman died in 2016 at 92 years old after a struggle with pneumonia. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with her husband.
That is pretty cool.
“We truly live in a wondrous age of stupid.” - 83v45magna
"I think it's important that people understand free speech doesn't mean free from consequences societally or politically or culturally."
-Pranjit Kalita, founder and CIO of Birkoa Capital Management
February 18, 2019, 07:32 PM
David LeeAll my life I thought that sailor was kissing a French girl.
February 18, 2019, 07:40 PM
Skins2881quote:
Originally posted by Gustofer:
#metoo
Jesse
Sic Semper Tyrannis February 18, 2019, 07:41 PM
Sailor1911RIP, George. We all appreciate what you did for us!
Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark.
“If in winning a race, you lose the respect of your fellow competitors, then you have won nothing” - Paul Elvstrom "The Great Dane" 1928 - 2016 February 18, 2019, 08:00 PM
redstoneI used to have a poster of that on my wall. It was just a sheer joyful moment. Truly iconic
This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it. -Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Joshua Painter Played by Senator Fred Thompson February 18, 2019, 08:07 PM
JSB3It's already blowing up on social media again.
Blaming the crime on the gun, is like blaming a bad story on the pencil.
February 18, 2019, 08:49 PM
Gustoferquote:
Originally posted by Skins2881:
quote:
Originally posted by Gustofer:
#metoo
To be clear, that's not from me. Feminazis a few years back were decrying this action as an assault on the woman.
I agree with the rolleyes. Should have made that clear.
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"Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton.
February 18, 2019, 09:50 PM
FN in MTOne of my favorite photos of all times. Imagine the GI's dreading the invasion of Japan. Talk about a feeling of relief!
RIP George. You and that gal gave millions of us quite a bit of joy.
February 18, 2019, 11:48 PM
brywardsThere’s a giant statue of “The Kiss” outside the Bastogne War Museum in Bastogne, France:
https://goo.gl/images/wUsvUNFebruary 19, 2019, 04:18 AM
downtownvAll the result of the spilled blood and bravery of the heroes of the greatest generation!
RIP.
February 19, 2019, 04:45 AM
fpuhanThere is a 26-foot sculpture on Sarasota, Florida's waterfront named "Unconditional Surrender" modeled after the famous photograph.
You can't truly call yourself "peaceful" unless you are capable of great violence. If you're not capable of great violence, you're not peaceful, you're harmless.
NRA Benefactor/Patriot Member February 19, 2019, 06:08 AM
SgtGoldquote:
Originally posted by Gustofer:
quote:
Originally posted by Skins2881:
quote:
Originally posted by Gustofer:
#metoo
To be clear, that's not from me. Feminazis a few years back were decrying this action as an assault on the woman.
I agree with the rolleyes. Should have made that clear.
The woman in the photo is Greta Zimmer Friedman. She and Mendonsa remained friends and stayed in touch later in life. She never maintained that she was assaulted.
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'I'm pretty fly for a white guy'.
February 19, 2019, 09:51 AM
jhe888Why couldn't we keep politics out of this nice thread?
The fish is mute, expressionless. The fish doesn't think because the fish knows everything. February 19, 2019, 10:23 AM
Timdogg6My dad was an attorney in RI and did some work for his family about 15 years ago. Dad said he was a really nice guy and a true gentlemen.
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The entire reason for the Second Amendment is not for hunting, it’s not for target shooting … it’s there so that you and I can protect our homes and our children and and our families and our lives. And it’s also there as fundamental check on government tyranny. Sen Ted Cruz
February 19, 2019, 10:47 AM
Black92LXquote:
Originally posted by fpuhan:
There is a 26-foot sculpture on Sarasota, Florida's waterfront named "Unconditional Surrender" modeled after the famous photograph.
Driven by it many times.
And someone spray painted #metoo on it lastnight
'Kissing sailor' statue spray-painted with '#MeToo'
https://www.wcpo.com/news/nati...y-painted-with-metoo
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