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Probably one of the most iconic photos of WWII, after the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi, is “The Kiss” – a young sailor dippin’ and kisssin’ an unidentified girl in Times Square.<\/p>\n
George Mendonsa spotted Greta Friedman, spun her around and planted a kiss. The two had never met.<\/p>\n
The photo, by Alfred Eisenstaedt, is called \u201cV-J Day in Times Square\u201d but is known to most people simply as \u201cThe Kiss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friedman told the Library of Congress in 2005 that “it wasn\u2019t a romantic event. It was just an event of thank God the war is over kind of thing.\u201d She added in an oral history of the photo, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t my choice to be kissed. The guy just came over and kissed or grabbed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Secretary Denis McDonough acted hours after a copy of a memo from a VA assistant undersecretary requesting the photo\u2019s removal from all VA health facilities was shared on social media. The memo had said the photo \u201cdepicts a non-consensual act\u201d and is inconsistent with the department’s sexual harassment policy.<\/p>\n
McDonough on Tuesday tweeted out a copy of the image, which appeared in Life magazine, adding, \u201cLet me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities \u2014 and we will keep it in VA facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
AP<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Notice she never says she objected, felt demeaned, any of the usual buzzwords – but some pissant departmental flunkie name of RimaAnn Nelson decided it wasn’t politically correct. For once a Bidener got it partially right – Secretary McDonough immediately countermanded the memo and even the White House took the right stance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe VA is not going to be banning this photo,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. \u201cI can definitely say that the memo was not sanctioned, and so it’s not something that we were even aware of.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
No wonder people complain of a functionary’s “deep state” with\u00a0 idiots like that ‘assistant undersecretary’ around – and still\u00a0 employed.<\/p>\n
This isn’t her first rodeo, either.<\/p>\n
Nelson served as the director of the St. Louis VA hospital from 2009 to 2013, during a time when veterans were reportedly exposed to HIV and hepatitis. CNN reported<\/u> that an investigation found that “staff in St. Louis had not been trained to sterilize equipment, and according to a whistleblower, the poor sanitation contributed to infections.”<\/p>\n
According to a report<\/u> from AZ Central, investigators followed up to see if the problem had been addressed at the facility, and they had not. The Daily Caller reported<\/u> that conditions were so bad that veterans were left sitting in feces for “days.”<\/p>\n
Nelson was appointed to be head of the Phoenix VA in 2016, which prompted outrage from then Democratic Rep. and now Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, along with former Republican Rep. Matt Salmon, who wrote a letter<\/u> to then-President Obama calling for a reconsideration of Nelson\u2019s appointment due to her previous tenure at the St. Louis VA hospital.<\/p>\n
Despite the documented problems at the hospital, Nelson reportedly received<\/u> more than $25,000 in bonuses.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
McFonough responded to calls for Nelson’s firing with:<\/p>\n
In a statement to Fox News Digital, McDonough responded to the letter, saying, “Rima has dedicated her career to serving Veterans. We are fortunate to have her at VA, and she will remain at VA.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n