Granddaughter of nurse in iconic kiss in V-J Day photo speaks out

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Monday, March 11, 2024

The granddaughter of the woman in the iconic photo depicting a sailor kissing a nurse to celebrate Japan's surrender to Allied forces and an end to World War II, defended the image after the United States Department of Veterans Affairs tried to ban it.  

Caroline Branin is the granddaughter of Greta Friedman, who died in 2016 at 92 in Richmond, Virginia. Friedman came to America in 1939 after fleeing her native Austria to escape the Nazis. In August 1945, Friedman was walking through Times Square on V-J Day when U.S. Navy Sailor George Mendonsa grabbed the dental nurse and kissed her. 

Branin told The Daily Mail that Friedman viewed the photo as “two young people celebrating in the street” and that her grandmother was “always very proud of the image," having signed copies of the photo until her death. 

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The granddaughter recalled that Friedman told her she had been working on V-J Day and had gone downstairs during 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,” the granddaughter said. “She never felt violated or anything like that.” 

Addressing the perspective of some that the photograph depicts a non-consensual act, Branin said the issue makes for an “interesting debate.” Branin told The Daily Mail that she believes her grandmother would have enjoyed the discussion if she was still alive. 

“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." 

The granddaughter also revealed that she has a copy of the picture in her home, which her grandmother and Mendonsa both signed. Friedman stayed in contact with Mendonsa, and she participated in V-J Day parades with him, according to Branin. 

As The Daily Mail reported, Friedman and Mendonsa returned to Times Square in 1980 to recreate the famous photograph, with Mendonsa kissing her once again. By that time, the pair were married to different people. Mendonsa died in 2019. 

On Tuesday, the X account End Wokeness shared a copy of a February VA memorandum requesting the removal of the photograph from Veterans Health Administration facilities. The document claimed that the photo “depicted a non-consensual act” and “is inconsistent with the VA’s no tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and assault.” 

A VA spokesperson directed The Christian Post to a tweet by VA Secretary Denis McDonough. McDonough stated in the post that the image is not banned from VA facilities, and the photo will remain.

The spokesperson also included a statement about RimaAnn Nelson, the VA's assistant secretary for health and the individual who wrote the memo. The statement praised Nelson as someone who “has dedicated her career to serving veterans. We are fortunate to have her at VA, and she will remain at VA.”