Greta Zimmer Friedman, the nurse kissed by a sailor in the iconic picture taken in Times Square on V-J Day in 1945, has reportedly passed away according to her son. The photo which marked the end of World War II went on to be one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.
Friedman, who had been ill for quite some time before her passing, lived a full and interesting life in her 92 years. She was born in Austria in 1924, and traveled to America in 1938 with her two younger sisters to flee Hitler and the Nazis. Unfortunately, her parents never followed after them as intended, and the details of their deaths still remain unclear to the family.
Looking back on her role in the historic V-J Day photograph, Friedman told her children that it was accidental. The photo means a lot to so many people, but Friedman always felt like it was just something that happened to her, not anything she did. Friedman, who was 21 at the time, had wandered into Times Square after she heard the news of Japan’s surrender to the United States, when she was grabbed and kissed by a sailor. She says the incident wasn’t so much about the kiss, but was a jubilant act by the sailor to celebrate that he didn’t have to go back to war.
Neither the sailor or nurse even realized their photo had been taken when Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped a shot of their kiss. Eisenstaedt became legendary when his photo was published a few weeks later on the cover of Life magazine with the simple caption “V-J Day in Times Square.” It wasn’t until the 1960s that either party even became aware of the photo, and finally in 1980 Friedman and the sailor, George Mendonsa, were determined to be the couple in the photo.
According to the Veterans History Project, the reason Mendonsa grabbed a woman dressed like a nurse was because he felt so grateful to the nurses who had taken care of the wounded during the war. The photo still remains an iconic image of American history and has been recreated hundreds of times. Friedman’s son has said she will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to her late husband, Misha Friedman, who served as a general infantry in the military.
Thank you Greta, our Nurse of the Week, for the enduring image you’ve left on the hearts of many Americans.
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