‘#MeToo’ painted on the Florida statue of WWII sailor kissing a nurse one day after his death
- George Mendonsa passed away aged 95 on Sunday
- On Monday officers found the phrase painted in red on the left leg of the nurse
- The photo taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt became one of the most widely-recognized images of the 20th century
- It wasn’t until decades later that the pair in the photo were identified
Police in Florida want to know who spray-painted ‘#MeToo’ on the leg of a statue depicting a sailor and a dental assistant kissing at the end of World War II.
Sarasota police said in a news release that officers found the phrase painted in red on the left leg of the woman in the ‘Unconditional Surrender’ statue in Sarasota early Tuesday.
The paint covered the length of the nurse’s leg.
A mystery assailant painted ‘#MeToo’ on the leg of a statue depicting a sailor and a dental assistant kissing at the end of World War II
Police said officers didn’t find any spray paint bottles in the area. No other objects were defaced.
Authorities estimate the damage to the statue at more than $1,000. They say the incident occurred sometime Monday afternoon or evening.
George Medonsa, the sailor who kissed dental assistant Greta Zimmer Friedman, died Sunday at 95.
Mendonsa fell and suffered a seizure on Sunday at the assisted living facility in Middletown, Rhode Island, where he lived with his wife of 70 years.
He died two days before his 96th birthday.
George Mendonsa, seen here in 2012 holding the iconic photo, died Sunday aged 95
Mendonsa was shown kissing Greta Zimmer Friedman, a dental assistant in a nurse’s uniform, in the photograph taken by Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt on August 14, 1945, known as V-J Day.
The image came to represent how jubilant Americans and people around the world felt after the Japanese surrendering, ending the war that had cost an estimated 70 to 85 million lives.
It wasn’t until decades later that Mendonsa and Friedman were identified as the couple locking lips what became one of the most widely-recognized photographs of the World War II era.
Mendonsa is survived by his wife Rita, son Ron Mendonsa and daughter Sharon Molleur.
The sailor spent 74 years insisting that he was the man in the photograph, along with dozens of others who were sure it was them.
It wasn’t until recently that his claim was verified when facial recognition technology and experts in photography and forensic anthropology ruled out all the other sailors.
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