Woman from iconic WWII photo dies

  • 11/09/2016
The 'Kissing Sailor' (Alfred Eisenstaedt / Life)
The 'Kissing Sailor' (Alfred Eisenstaedt / Life)

The woman in the famous 'Kissing Sailor' photograph that encapsulated the Allies' victory at the end of World War Two has died.

Greta Friedman, who was kissed by a sailor in Times Square on V-J Day and became part of photography history, died on Thursday at an assisted living home in Virginia aged 92.

"My mom had so many stories and so many experiences; this was just one of many," her son Joshua Friedman told CNN.

The black and white photograph shows a 21-year-old Ms Friedman in a white uniform being embraced and kissed by a sailor when the news of Japan's surrender was announced, marking the end of WWII.

In 2005 she told the Veterans History Project: "Suddenly, I was grabbed by a sailor. It wasn't that much of a kiss. It was more of a jubilant act that he didn't have to go back."

The photo was taken by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt and published in Life magazine, but in the midst of the event, Mr Eisenstaedt didn't get the names of the two.

A number of women claimed to be the mystery nurse, but it was eventually proven by historian Lawrence Verria that Greta Friedman was the real one.

George Mendonsa, the man identified as the sailor in the picture, described the excitement of the event to CBS News in 2012.

"The excitement of the war being over, plus I had a few drinks, so when I saw the nurse I grabbed her, and I kissed her."

Newshub.