NEW YORK – Hundreds of couples donned sailor hats and nurse's caps and smooched in Times Square on Saturday to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The couples were re-enacting the famous Life magazine photograph of a nurse being passionately kissed by a sailor at the end of the war. A 26-foot statue replicating the original photo was also erected for the celebration.
World War II veterans and their children on hand for the kiss said they want today's generation to remember the sacrifices of those who fought in the war.
"I want to keep that day alive," said Rocco Moretto, 86, a retired infantry staff sergeant now living in Queens.
Moretto, who stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day and arrived in Times Square in his uniform, kissed his friend Margie Zwick, who served in the Women's Army Corps.
"It was terrific," he said of the kiss. "It's been a long time coming."
The Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive! grass roots campaign was holding a series of events around the country marking the day.
Edith Shain, who said she was the nurse in the original photo, died in June at the age of 91.
August 14 V-J Day: The 65th Anniversary of the End of W.W. Two
Couples kiss in New York's Times Square, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010, on the 65th anniversary of VJ Day
While V-E Day, victory in Europe, is often celebrated as the end of World War Two that day was in fact August 14 1945, 65 years ago, when Japan surrendered
On this day, August 14, 2010 ceremonies around the U.S., Canada and other countries will mark the 65th anniversary of the end of World War Two. The day is referred to as V-J Day (victory over Japan) and is the anniversary of the day that Japanese Emperor Hirohito made a noon radio announcement telling his country that Japan had accepted the terms of surrender.
Due to time zone differences the day is marked on August 15 in Japan.
Before Hirohito's announcement that day the Japanese government had sent a cable to the U.S. via the Swiss Embassy surrendering. It marked the end of the fighting in World War Two, a prolonged, vicious conflagration with a death toll, including civilians, said to be over 50 million. The surrender came three months after the May 7 surrender of Germany (V-E day) and after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
August 14 Ceremonies Around the World Mark V-J Day and the End of World War Two
The ceremonies will include buglers blowing Taps and dozens of tributes to soldiers and civilians killed in the war. A New York gathering will see the most famous kiss in American history reenacted in a "kiss-in". The kiss was an impromptu one between a U.S. sailor, identity disputed but likely either Carl Muscarello or Glenn McDuffie, and a nurse, Edith Shain, in Times Square during the celebration 65 years ago.
There was a lot of kissing on that day but this one was immortalized in an iconic photograph taken by German immigrant Alfred Eisendaedt. It has been reenacted many times and numerous statues commemorate it. 'I went from hospital to Times Square that day because the war was over, and where else does a New Yorker go?' Shain, who died in June at 91, said years later. "And this guy grabbed me and we kissed, and then I turned one way and he turned the other."
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor Started Hostilities Between U.S. and Japan
The Japanese surrender ended over 3-and-a-half years of fighting that began when the Japanese sent some 353 aircraft on a surprise raid, a 'sneak attack' on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. In total 18 American ships were sunk or badly damaged, hundreds of airplanes destroyed on the ground and more than 2,100 Americans killed.
The two nations battled in the Pacific and despite heavy loses Japan refused to give up; their armies typically fought until a 70 to 90% casualty rate, well over the 30% armies traditionally fought until. But after Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan had little choice and by the time of the August 14/15 surrender their nation was in tatters.
Ceremonies at Cenotaph in London
The Cenotaph in London on this day will be the scene of ceremonies to mark the war's end with officials attending including British Prime Minister David Cameron , The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and many representatives of that country's military.
During their Far East campaign the British lost an estimated 30,000 troops, over 12,000 of those dieing while prisoners of war. “We must never forget the sacrifices made and the dedication showed by those who served our country in the Second World War. They fought and suffered around the world in ferocious conditions. They witnessed incomprehensible horrors,” Cameron said.
“They lost their lives and many were imprisoned. And they did all this for us – to protect the freedoms we all enjoy today."
