WWII V-J Day Sailor-Kissing Nurse Statue Defaced with #MeToo After His Death
Sailor-Kissing Nurse Statue Vandalized with #MeToo Spray Paint After Sailor's Death
The death of the sailor in that famous V-J Day photo -- where he kissed an unsuspecting nurse -- is being marked by the #MeToo movement with an act of vandalism on a statue.
The statue recreating George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman's iconic moment from 1945 was tagged Monday in Sarasota, FL with red spray paint that spelled "#METOO." Police say they don't have any surveillance video or witnesses to the crime, at this point.
The vandalism took place on the heels of news that George had died at the age 95. While the photo of him kissing Greta is often romanticized -- he later admitted he'd randomly grabbed her at the time and kissed her without consent.
For her part, Greta told CBS News in 2015 ... "I did not see him approaching, and before I know it I was in this tight grip." George said he'd had a few drinks and the excitement of the war being over compelled him to plant the kiss, which he said didn't last long.
It's interesting ... Greta was willing to "reunite" with George at least twice in her life, and didn't seem to be too upset about the kiss all those years later. Still, the question never seems to have been posed to her on the record ... was she actually bothered by it?
#MeToo supporters have clearly weighed in on her behalf. Greta passed away in 2016.
