The photo of Navy sailor George Mendonsa kissing Greta Friedman on VJ Day in Times Square is one of the most iconic photographs in history.
Yet it was nearly up for consideration to be banned from Veterans Affairs facilities.
Thankfully, this was not an official policy and Secretary Denis McDonough shut it down as fast as it appeared, as Military Times described.
A memo from RimaAnn Nelson called for the picture's removal because it "depicts a non-consensual act" and "is inconsistent with the VA’s no-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and assault."
Thus she added, "To foster a more trauma-informed environment that promotes the psychological safety of our employees and the veterans we serve, photographs depicting the ‘V-J Day in Times Square’ should be removed from all Veterans Health Administration facilities."
While Greta Friedman did say she and Mendonsa did not know each other and she was taken by surprise, "It wasn’t that much of a kiss. It was just somebody celebrating. It wasn’t a romantic event."
Mendonsa recounted in 2012 that he was drunk during the kiss as well since he was on leave and could have been very well sent back to the Pacific if Japan had not surrendered that day (even his girlfriend at the time understood his joy to boot).
Daily Mail said Mendonsa and Friedman even became friends and willingly recreated the picture 35 years later in 1980 despite being married to other people.
Daily Mail provided additional info on Nelson in the above link, describing how she had a less-than-stellar record working for the VA, which included potentially exposing nearly 2,000 veterans to blood-transmitted diseases (HIV and Hepatitis B and C) and apparently did not take good care of dental equipment onsite.
We can debate the ethics of what Mendonsa did till the cows come home and whether or not RimaAnn Nelson was simply a well-meaning schmuck, but that does not warrant removing the photo.
McDonough felt the same way, posting on Twitter/X:
Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities - and we will keep it in VA facilities. pic.twitter.com/dYSikLxHAJ
— Secretary Denis McDonough (@SecVetAffairs) March 5, 2024
McDonough's decision is a breath of fresh air at a time when the left is hellbent on erasing American history because it doesn't conform to its moral values and is unwilling to understand context or values dissonance.
Back in December, I wrote about how the Reconciliation Monument in Arlington, Va., was slated to be removed because it apparently romanticized the Confederacy even though, as the name suggests, the monument depicted the North and South reconciling after the Civil War, which saw over 600,000 men die in four years. Such a sentiment was reflected in its inclusion of Isaiah 2:4, "and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks."
Related: Irony Within Irony as Reconciliation Monument's Removal Halted
I am willing to give Nelson the benefit of the doubt in saying that she was not deliberately seeking to erase a piece of American history from VA facilities, but the fact that she felt its removal was warranted only demonstrates the ironically unforgiving nature of modern leftism that continues to worm its way through culture.
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