RIP: George Mendonsa, 95

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apogee

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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 18, 2019 - 01:53pm PT

Sailor in iconic World War II photo dies at 95
By ASSOCIATED PRESS 02/18/2019 04:33 PM EST

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/18/sailor-times-square-photo-1173601

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The ecstatic sailor shown kissing a woman in Times Square celebrating the end of World War II died Sunday. George Mendonsa was 95.

Mendonsa fell and had a seizure at the assisted living facility in Middletown, Rhode Island, where he lived with his wife of 70 years, his daughter, Sharon Molleur, told The Providence Journal.

Mendonsa was shown kissing Greta Zimmer Friedman, a dental assistant in a nurse’s uniform, on Aug. 14, 1945 — known as V-J Day, the day Japan surrendered to the United States. People spilled into the New York City streets to celebrate the news.

Mendonsa planted a kiss on Friedman, whom he had never met.

***

From wiki:

George Mendonsa (or alternatively according to certain sources Mendonça) of Newport, Rhode Island, on leave from the USS The Sullivans (DD-537), was watching a movie with his future wife, Rita,[13] at Radio City Music Hall when the doors opened and people started screaming the war was over.[17] George and Rita joined the partying on the street, but when they could not get into the packed bars decided to walk down the street. It was then that George saw a woman in a white dress walk by and took her into his arms and kissed her, "I had quite a few drinks that day and I considered her one of the troops—she was a nurse."[13] In one of the four pictures that Eisenstaedt took, Mendonsa claims that Rita is visible in the background behind the kissing couple.[13]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-J_Day_in_Times_Square