Anniversary of V-J Day

Today is the 80th anniversary of V-J Day, or Victory Over Japan Day. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August of 1945, Japan announced its surrender, leading to widespread celebrations globally.  This led to the official end of World War II.

Many of the images that Americans associate with the end of the war were taken on this day (8/14). In the United Kingdom, however, the following day—August 15—was formally declared as V-J Day and remains so to the present day. Japan commemorates August 15 as the end of the war as well.

While the initial announcement of surrender led to immediate celebrations, but the formal signing of the surrender documents happened on September 2, 1945. That is what solidified the end of the war and is officially recognized by the US as V-J Day. 

One of the most famous photos taken on August 14th was of a sailor kissing a woman in the middle of Time Square.

The sailor in the iconic “V-J Day in Times Square” photo was George Mendosa, and the woman he kissed was Greta Zimmer Friedman. The photograph captures the moment of jubilation in Times Square after the announcement of Japan’s surrender.

Many people think that the photo depicts a “nurse,” Friedman was actually a dental assistant, and the white uniform she wore was standard attire for dental assistants at the time. Mendonsa, who was on leave from the Navy, got caught up in the celebratory atmosphere of the day. He later stated he acted on instinct, grabbing and kissing the woman in the white uniform. A truly iconic moment captured on film forever.

Just to be clarify, the identities of the two in the photo has been a topic of controversy for some time. Carl Muscarello (a retired NY policeman) said the soldier was him in 1995. In 2007, Glenn McDuffie made the claim that it was him. A woman named Edith Shain claimed to be the woman claiming to be kissed by Muscarello.

Whoever is in the photo, it remains one of the most famous photos of World War II. It inspired a bronze statue of the moment called “Unconditional Surrender.” Copies of the statue have appeared all over the country. On June 18, 2016 a copy was installed in my home state of Michigan in the city of Royal Oak. It went on display in the city’s Memorial Park on June 20. The city manager expected that the statue would increase tourism and help raise money for the Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial, a permanent World War II memorial in the park. It remained there until December of 2016.

The statue was located on Woodward Ave, which I drove daily to get to work. It was an amazing sight to see up close. I was sad when they moved it to its next destination.