NEW YORK (KRON/AP) – A major photo-op in New York’s Times Square on Friday: Dozens of couples gathered to re-enact an iconic image of a famous kiss 70 years ago that celebrated the end of World War II.
A 25-foot sculpture depicting Alfred Eisenstaedt’s photograph of a sailor kissing a white-uniformed nurse towered over the commemorative event in New York City. The photo, which was published by LIFE magazine,
became a cultural icon that in one click of the camera symbolized the joy of a nation celebrating an end to the war that claimed the lives of more than 400,000 Americans.
Blairsville, Georgia, residents Ray and Ellie Williams kicked off the re-enactment of the kiss from Aug. 14, 1945.
The Williamses are Navy veterans. They married the day after V-J Day.
Ray Williams says he and his wife are “deeply honored and privileged” to represent the greatest generation at the Times Square commemoration.
He says he remembers the jubilation that broke out across the country on V-J Day, when Japan’s surrender to Allied forces was announced.