Former New York Yankees star David Wells blasted a Veterans Affairs official for a recently-rescinded memo that called for the removal of the iconic V-J Day Times Square photograph from VA healthcare centers.
On February 29, RimaAnn Nelson, the department’s assistant undersecretary for health for operations, issued a memo, titled “Removal and Replacement of V-J Day in Times Square Photographs,” that called for the photograph’s removal on the grounds of it depicting a “non-consensual act.” As noted by The Guardian, the famous photograph captured a sailor kissing Greta Friedman, a dental assistant at the time, in Times Square on August 14, 1945, just after Japan surrendered to the United States. Friedman did not know the sailor, later identified as George Mendosa, would kiss her suddenly.
“I did not see him approaching, and before I know it I was in this vice grip,” Friedman said to CBS News in 2012.
Friedman, however, harbored no ill-will and even appreciated the image’s significance.
“It was a wonderful coincidence, a man in a sailor’s uniform and a woman in a white dress … and a great photographer at the right time,” she said in a 2005 interview with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.
Wells issued a scathing rebuke of RimaAnn Nelson in a post on X.
“What a Disgusting Human Being this woman is. Theirs (sic) no other word to describe her,” he wrote on X.
What a Disgusting Human Being this woman is.Theirs no other word to describe her. pic.twitter.com/MjjZvAYU64
— david wells (@BoomerWells33) March 7, 2024
The White House has also distanced itself from the memo, saying that it was never authorized.
“I can definitely say that the memo was not sanctioned, and so it’s not something that we were even aware of,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Likewise, the VA secretary, Denis McDonough, immediately said that the photo would not be removed from facilities hours after severe backlash erupted online.
“Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities – and we will keep it in VA facilities,” McDonough said.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
