The granddaughter of the nurse featured in an iconic photo of her being kissed by a random sailor after the announcement of the end of World War II said her grandmother was “proud of the image” and “never felt violated.”
On V-J Day in 1945, dental nurse Greta Zimmer, who was Jewish and had fled Austria to escape Hitler and the Nazis in 1939, was walking through Times Square in New York City when a U.S. Navy sailor, most likely George Mendonsa, grabbed her, bent her backwards and kissed her. Famed photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped the photo, which was published a week later in Life magazine and immediately became immortal. Zimmer later married Mischa Friedman and had a son and daughter.
But RimaAnn Nelson, the VA assistant secretary for health for operations, sent a memo in February to the Veterans Integrated Services Network Directors saying the photo should be removed and replaced at all VA facilities because it “depicted a non-consensual act,” and “is inconsistent with the VA’s no tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and assault.” The memo stated that the photo needed to be removed to maintain the department’s “respectful, safe and trauma-informed” workplace.
EXCLUSIVE:
The Department Of Veterans Affairs just BANNED the V-J Day kiss photo from all department facilities.
"To promote a culture of inclusivity and awareness… your cooperation is vital." pic.twitter.com/MZfNHbpV76
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 5, 2024
After backlash ensued, VA Secretary Denis McDonough later tweeted, “Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities — and we will keep it in VA facilities.”
Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities – and we will keep it in VA facilities. pic.twitter.com/dYSikLxHAJ
— Secretary Denis McDonough (@SecVetAffairs) March 5, 2024
Caroline Branin, Friedman’s granddaughter, told The Daily Mail, “As my grandmother told it to me, she was at work and she went downstairs at lunchtime to see what was happening. George grabbed her and kissed her. It was a split second thing and the photographer just happened to be there. She never felt violated or anything like that … She was always very proud of the image and she thought it was two young people celebrating in the street … My grandma signed images of the photo up until she died. She was proud to be an American citizen. She was a refugee from Austria and so the end of the war marked more to her than for everyday people.”
“She never felt it was something inappropriate,” she continued. “It’s interesting they tried to reframe historical events in today’s values. I have a picture in my house that my grandma signed and even George Mendonsa signed it. My grandma stayed in contact with George and she did parades on V-J Day with him. She never said it was anything she felt was uncomfortable.”
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“At college I had a women and gender studies teacher who showed that image and said: ‘This is a sexual assault,’” Branin recalled. “I put my hand up and said that’s actually my grandma, she didn’t view it that way. The teacher disagreed with me. I can understand the argument but for my grandmother it represented the end of the war and they’re celebrating.”
Friedman only learned about the photograph in the 1960s and immediately recognized herself. She and Mendonsa communicated in later years and became friends; she died in 2016 at the age of 92.