Event comes on 65th anniversary of what Americans call V-J Day
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comPucker up! 'Kiss-in' to commemorate WWII
Seeded on Sat Aug 14, 2010 4:17 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
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We'er going to repeat this year after year? Give me a break....
A 91 yr old woman believed that a moment of pure joy should be repeated once a year! Wow, you'd rather that people commemorate the killing of 6 million people? I think the joy that sailor felt at the end of WWII, the pure unadulterated happiness should be remembered....why shouldn't we repeat that once a year? A kiss of happiness rather than hate or despair....I wish my father-in-law was still alive....I know he would plant a big one on my mother-in-law because he survived the war...
Couldn't agree more Deb! My Mother was a WAC my Father Army! Both would agree to remember that day! An to anyone who has something smart to say about the kiss< in the words of two WWII Vets, They never forgot the war, what happened or how it affected the world, them and America or why the hell we were there. The end was a proud day!
it is obvious you never served so you have no love for this country ---you can leave anytime you want
Buzz off LG you douche bag
I think it's wonderful.
How could anyone not get behind something as beautiful and joyous as this?
Great! Now we have another reason for spontaneous kissing in NYC Times Square - besides New Year's eve! :> (glad I'm still "single"- lol ) Cheers! C-U-there!
The statue in San Diego must be close to 40 feet high. Shoulda done it here, too. It sits right next to the USS Midway Museum.
The statue in San Diego has nothing to do with times square and VJ day. It is all about a sailor hugging his wife and kid goodbye before boarding his ship. A touching statue in its own right, the scene has been seen there many thousands of times, during war and peace. San Diego was a major debarkation point for many thousands of sailors on hundreds of ships that left for the pacific theatre, some never returned.
Bruce C Walsh: Sorry to break this to you but it has nothing to do about a sailor hugging his wife & kids goodbye before boarding a ship. The sailor kissing the nurse didn't even known the her she was at the time, after getting off the ship after the war he laid one on her and a Time Life editor took the picture and became one of the most historical photo's of our time.
arg 726, I was talking about the statue in San Diego that another poster apparently thought was the same thing. I was not talking about the statue in times square, I have never been there, never seen it, didn't even know there was one. I have seen the one in San Diego and I know exactly what I am talking about. I know all about the photo in times square and the lady that was in it. I don't think they ever found out who the sailor was. Read the post right above my comment before you get any more confused, better yet, google it and look at it, it's a very touching statue and there is no kissing, just a sailor looking very unhappy in a group hug with his wife and kid. I doubt seriously if he was returning. Glad they have made a holiday out of it, I'd rather be kissing than fighting any day.
The poster I referred to before may have seen a copy of the times square statue in San Diego. Wikipedia said there were several steel and fiberglass copies made and displayed in several cities , including San Diego. Don't know whether it is still there or not. I was there in 2005 and never saw it then, must have set it up later. Guess they found out who the sailor was too, or think they did anyway. Learn something new everyday.
An event to commerate the greatest group of people who ever lived...my parents included!!! My mom gave my dad a whopper of a kiss this morning after seeing the Today Show. He sure appreciated it! My brother's ship, the iowa jima, docks tomorrow. Another sailor will be home to kiss his wife.....
Give me a beak? Excuse me, but give us a break and take your uncaring attitude somewhere else. This commemerates an historic day in the history of this nation, and if it offends you in some way, oh well, too bad. My dad spent 3 years in Europe in WWII and this makes me very proud to see that 'some' Americans still appreciate the effort put forth by an entire nation.
Hey LG, you obviously don't want to remember your spelling classes either. It is we're, not we're; and you'd be far better off remembering and thanking "that" generation every year for what you enjoy every day thanks to "them."
An unbelievable era! My grandfather fought on the USS Barnett and my dad served on the USS Soley. The people of that era gave everything they had for this country. They truely are the last great generation of Americans. I only wish I could get my children to understand what it all means.
It's about time. A homecoming is always a great thing to celebrate. My only regret is that the lady had to die before anything got done. So---think about her and all the others that supported our troups as you kiss someone.
I can say what I feel about this in one word: COOL!
I was born in 1939, just 2 years prior to WW2, and very proud of that fact. Anyway, my brother was in the South Pacific fighting the Japanese, and those men saved the world. They were a special breed and never will be any like them. God bless them all.
I am glad you are proud and I am thankful for your brothers service in the war. I was not born until 1971 and am thankful and proud of all the men and women that served. Please remember though that you were born 2 years before our enterance into the war not 2 years prior to the war. Europe had been fighting since September of 1939 and the actual year the war started so please also remember all those brave young men and women.
welcome to the future, the men are skinny wimps and the women look like middle linebackers. i miss the good ole days men were men and the ladies were classic beauties....
I remember that day very well though I was only 6 years old at the time. My Dad hurried me and Mom into the car and off we went. Not long after we were in the Holland tunnel which frightened me a bit as the signs said 'Do Not Blow Your Horn' and everyone was.:). I don't remember where we parked but we did make it to Times Square and I watched the celebration from my Dad's shoulders. I think it is wonderful that the day will be remembered in this fashion especially for those that lived that day ..soldiers, sailors and civilians. 'Bless them all ..Bless them all ...the long and the short and the tall'!!!!!
I want to phrase this delicately so I don't seem to cheapen the original moment, but if a man were to walk up to a woman today and grab and kiss her, he would immediately be arrested and charged with a felony and made to register as a sex offender. As celebrated as this moment is, it can never be repeated with jail time and lawsuits.
Louie : Just don't go, these people know why they going there and to celebrate V-J Day!I think it's great news! I hope everyone kissed a Vet today! Military? Kiss them too!
Not only Louie's arrest scenario, today the complainant would most likely be the larger drain on and threat to society. The wackos infiltrate all that is worthwhile in life.
If you have never been in the military and pulled duty overseas you can only try to imagine what its like to be away from your loved ones. Your duty and job function is part of a bigger overall plan. To wait a year or more to kiss the lips of the one you love after so much time away. Peace is a wonderful celebration of life.
What a beautiful event and a great reason to share a kiss with the one you love. My grandfather fought in Iwo Jima and I have nothing but love and respect for his generation. They are a strong and proud generation who worked hard for what they had. I'm glad there is a day when we can celebrate something positive and the end of WWII was most certainly a day to celebrate. I think next year I might just have to put together a "kiss in" here in my hometown, with proceeds going to our local V.A. Hmm..
This is a great idea. We should have the Geneva Convention adopt a rule that stipulates that opposing combatants must hug and give a peck on the cheek to the enemy at least once a day. In addition the leaders of the warring nations must have dinner together once a week. We might even see a reduction in hostilies worldwide.
As a child of a WWll vet, i cannot say enough about that generation who gave so much and taught us more than they realize. My brother also served and now my son does the same. My father was a great influence on my son and I hope that people everywhere think about what they have because of our veterans.
I was born in 1947, a baby boomer. When I talked and played with my friends, you didn't ask if their fathers were in the military during the war, but, what service they served in. The fifties were a great time to grow up because we all had something in common. I served in Vietnam and the reception I received was very different. I am very proud of the way the American public supports our troops now. I'm glad that they built the granet wall with the names of the lost and the memorial to the Korean war Vets. I do wish it hadn't taken so long but happy I lasted long enough to see it actually happen. There has never been a war that was started by a private or a sergeant. We serve regardless of were the conflict is because we love this country.
A Kiss to you Charles! :)
Charles: Thank you for what you did. I won't go as far as a kiss....but I'll shake your hand or salute you anyday.
Thank you :)
My Dad was on the PT boats in the pacific during WWII,, my Mom worked in the factories helping produce what was needed for the war effort,,, Never have we nor will we see a group who were prouder of the country they served,, and that pride continued for the ones who were fortunate enough to make it home to their families,, it never ocurred to them to not give that extra effort,, I can see the USS Arizona Memorial from my home above Pearl Harbor and never does a day pass that I don't give a prayer of thanks for all military,, They sacrifice so we can live in a place where freedom is cherished
Americans of this generation really have no sense at all, and continue with mindlessness. Let's all continue to cheapen the souls of the American dead of World War 2 by extravagant ways of honoring them, just so we can have a kiss-all marathon for the media and the world. Such stupidity!! Take a lesson from our former foes, the Japanese, who observe this day every year, at noon, exactly in the same way, by a moment of silence. They know that they owe the continuing peace & prosperity of their nation, to the hallowed and solemn ways in which they honor the spirits of their war dead. We, on the other hand, have been in constant wars ever since 1945, and we are reaping more bad karma today with two more stupid senseless wars to enrich a few individuals. (& it's not President Obama's fault either, he really has no power against the corporations ,e.g. Fox News, Halliburton, Exxon Mobil, BP, GE, etc, etc, etc.) Oh, and let's really honor our WW2 dead by upholding an important, and fundamental right that they gave their lives for, like same-sex marriage! Enjoy the party while you can.
Louie, Louie, You miss the point: The celebration is for and to honor the men & women who served in a good cause, they knew how & why to do the dirty work & get it finished so they could come home.
Currently our group of politicians are self serving idiots disguising them selves as patriots and by their behavior give themselves away as such.
Unfortunately you cannot appreciate the event , so at least appreciate the opportunity to change things, which was won for you by the deeds of these folks. Quit griping start participating in the solutions.
It's great to celebrate our greatest generation. My grandfather was a WWII veteran.
It makes me sad to see my grandfather witnessing the decline of this great nation he fought to protect.
We now have enemies of the constitution in the highest offices in the land. We are witnessing a socialist revolution that will leave us weaker, poorer, and less free while the political class become the mainstay of the world's wealth and power. They will continue to work to commit treason against us and merge us into a tyrannical one-world-government.
And we allied ourselves with the SOVIETS? In hind sight, we may have fought the wrong enemy.
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Don't give Osama - er Obama - any ideas of something else to ban!!!!~
I can't begin to express the warmth and pride I feel for my dad right now. He was a WW2 veteran, who served with the British Eighth Army, in the Fourth Royal Tank Regiment. My dad died on October 24th, 2006 aged 87. Since then, I have done whatever I could to commemorate his sacrifice. He escaped from the beaches of Dunkirk. He fought at Tobruk and was captured there, he was a POW for three and a half years. He sacrificed his innocence and his youth for our freedom. When the Americans came into the war, the POWs knew their time of freedom was nigh. It is so fitting that a day has been set aside to celebrate that day when Peace was achieved. I am my dad's proud daughter. Lest We Forget.
You have every right to be proud of your father's service to our country. Thanks to him and so many others who sacrificed so much, we have the priveledge to live free. Thanks
Thank you for your kind comment. I travelled to London, England last year to retrieve a long lost picture taken during WW2, of my dad atop his tank in North Africa. It was featured on the cover page of a middle East Newspaper called Parade. The feeling I had when I found that picture is similar to the feeling I felt when I read about the tribute the US is paying to the WW2 sacrifice. Very special.
Speaking as a Gen X'er, that picture has always been one of my all-time favorites. Commemorating that moment year after year is a wonderful idea. It has always pulled at my heart and imagination, and i will always wonder what that moment trully felt like.
And as an aside, it's nice to see by a couple of ignorant comments here that homophobia is alive and well. Those that speak of the 'good ol days' seems to have selective memories about the institutional racism of the era.
Or worse, fondly remember it well and wish for a return.
lets commemorate the usa slaughter of over 11 million american indians by the us cavalry
Through our ignorance of the time and fear of people so different than our culture we as a newborn nation did some very bad things. I hope our nation continues to bring good to the world out of their sacrifice.
Miguel, Do not forget the folks in Mexico and south American that are still being killed--by their own people, then you could have a more righteous claim.
Glad to see the public schools educated you in English,Miguel. Too bad they didn't teach you a little more about history.
Fred, I think it may be YOU who needs the history lesson.