Veterans Affairs Secretary Dennis McDonough on Tuesday rescinded a department memo aimed at banning the famous World War II photo of a Navy sailor kissing a woman in New York’s Times Square.
“To be clear, this image is not prohibited from use at a VA facility. We will keep it within a VA facility,” McDonough said. Tweeted with a copy The black and white image known as “VJ Day in Times Square”.
The tweet came hours after a copy of a memo from Lima Ann Nelson, assistant secretary for operational health at the Department of Veterans Affairs, was posted. widely shared on social media.
The memo, sent to Veterans Affairs Integrated Services Network Directors on Feb. 29, states that photos will be required at all VA facilities to maintain a “safe, respectful, and trauma-informed environment.” I’m asking you to remove it and replace it.
Nelson wrote that the photo “depicts a non-consensual act” and “contradicts the Department of Veterans Affairs’ zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment and assault.”
The Veterans Administration confirmed to The Hill that the memo was genuine but should not have been sent.
A spokesperson said: “A memo was sent that should not have been sent, but it has been retracted.”
The photo in question was taken on August 14, 1945, the day Japan surrendered to the United States. As people flocked to Times Square to celebrate the news, George Mendonça grabbed young dental assistant Greta Zimmer (who later changed his last name to Friedman), forced her to kiss him, and photographed photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. Photographed by.
Alfred Eisenstedt’s famous photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in New York’s Times Square on VJ Day. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlyanichenko, File)
The memo said the statue was “iconic” and was originally considered “a symbol of victory and a joyous end to a long and devastating conflict,” and was decommissioned to celebrate and commemorate the end of the war and the return of the United States. It has been acknowledged that it has acquired a place on the premises of a military installation. Soldier.
“However, views on historical events and their representation are evolving. Recent discussions have highlighted concerns about the non-consensual nature of kissing,” Nelson writes.
She also claimed that some employees have complained about the photo, saying it “tacitly endorses the inappropriate behavior depicted in the photo.”
The memo comes months after the House Veterans Affairs Committee launched an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Resolution Management, Diversity, and Inclusion in an effort to promote a harassment-free workplace. It was conducted.
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