George : No , well it was the excitement of the whole thing . The war was over . Actually it was a good thing she was with me . If I had grabbed that nurse , and say I was alone there , it would have really made me look bad . But the fact that she was my date there , it didn ’ t mean anything . She was happy to have won the war . Everyone was happy .
Veterans Chronicles : Any other strangers try and kiss you that day ?
Greta : Well , I went back to the office and my bosses , they were two brothers , they said , “ Okay , let ’ s close the office . We ’ re going home .” I said , okay , that ’ s great . So after they left , I did my usual putting away of instruments and neatening up the office , and changed my clothes . When I came out of the subway station , a young man in a uniform came over and kissed me gently on the cheek . And that was it .
Veterans Chronicles : What was your reaction when you saw the kiss on the cover ?
Greta : I saw it the first time in a small book called The Eye of Eisenstaedt . I immediately contacted LIFE magazine , and they were kind of cynical because they figured lots of women would
come forward and claim it was their picture .
Veterans Chronicles : When did you see that famous picture ?
GEORGE MENDONSA - “ THE SAILOR .” A U . S . NAVY VETERAN OF THE PACIFIC , HE NEVER FORGOT THE DEVOTION OF THE NURSES WHO TENDED TO HIS WOUNDED COMRADES .
George : I got out of the Navy early January 1946 and a fella here in Newport , a good friend of mine , his name was Francis Sylvia , he calls me up and said to me , “ Where were you the moment the war ended ?” And I say , “ Well I was in Times Square , New York .” And he said , “ Well I know you was ,” and I said , “ How the hell do you know where I was ?” He says , “ Well I got a LIFE magazine , and in the picture of this magazine is a sailor kissing a nurse .” This was 1980 . So I said , “ Well bring that magazine over to the house .” So he comes over to my house and I looked at the magazine I said God damn it , that is me . When I looked in that magazine at the sailor , I had the sensation like I was looking in a mirror . I knew it was me but I didn ’ t remember doing it . Well I found a lot of proof : scars , lumps , different stuff . I found a lot of stuff in that LIFE magazine that was proving I was the guy .
Veterans Chronicles : So you didn ’ t know for 35 years that that was you ?
George : Well on the 35th anniversary of the war ending LIFE came out with the magazine . And that ’ s when I first saw it , because I didn ’ t remember anything about the picture .
George Mendonsa
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