A statue depicting the kiss between a sailor and a nurse celebrating the end of World War II will permanently call San Diego home.
The 25-foot bronze sculpture was dedicated Saturday across from the USS Midway Museum, Channel 10 News reported.
The new statue replaces a similar one depicting the kiss, which was on loan and had to be returned to New Jersey last year for restoration after being a fixture in downtown San Diego for about five years.
When the loaned statue had to be returned, the USS Midway Museum launched a campaign to raise private donations to bring a permanent replica of the statue to San Diego. Almost $1 million was raised in just eight weeks.
The statue is surrounded by cherry trees donated by the Japanese Friendship Garden Society of San Diego, Channel 10 reported.
2 Comments
There’s overwhelming evidence it was forced. A statue commemorating sexual harrasment. Awesomely stupid.
Polaris:
“To this day, Rita insists that the kiss never bothered her and that the photo, while “nice,” hasn’t changed her life one bit.
A quote from the book The Kissing Sailor: The Mystery Behind the Photo that Ended World War II.
There you have it in her own words.