February 18, 20197 yr https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/18/us/sailor-kiss-vj-day-photo-george-mendonsa-dies/index.html
February 19, 20197 yr 2 hours ago, lew said: Saw that on the news tonite. Not many of the Greatest Generation left. Hello Lew Yeah, its a sad part of life. Google says we're losing about 372 vets/day, down from 1,000/day a few years back. There no known WWI vets alive. hat
February 19, 20197 yr For years there were many who claimed to be "The Kissing Sailor" in the picture. Mendoza was finally proved to be that sailor. For those of you who don't know, Mendoza served (piloted) on the DD-537, better know as the USS Sullivans. My mother had a close friend, Charles McCarthy, who was a co-founder and past president of the Sullivans Reunion Organization who served with Mendoza. My mother used to attend the reunions with Mac and his daughters, which were held every two years around the country. She knew both George and his wife Rita and remembered them fondly. Even after Mac passed, my mother attended the reunions with his daughters, until it became too difficult for her to travel. Most of this generation, sadly, has now passed. Truly, the "Greatest Generation". If only today's generation could understand, the courage, determination, selflessness, and pride that these men and women exhibited then, we would be a far different country than what we are today.
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