A Photo Worthy of Eisenstaedt’s Classic VJ-Day Shot

Dockside kiss of two female sailors. Photo Credit: Brian J. Clark/AP

VJ Day, The Kiss, NY NY 1945 Gelatin Silver by Alfred Eisenstaedt Copyright: TIME Inc.

So happy to post this photo of the kiss of two female US Navy sailors returning from overseas duty along with Alfred Eisenstaedt’s classic VJ Day image. The two female sailors entered and won their ship’s raffle to see which couple would have the honor of the first dockside smooch.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta embraced her partner, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell. “It’s something new, that’s for sure,” Gaeta told reporters after the kiss. “It’s nice to be able to be myself. It’s been a long time coming.”

Proceeds from the raffle were used to put on a Christmas party for sailors’ children. Commanding officer of the USS Oak Hill David Bauer said the crew’s reaction upon learning who’d won the raffle was “positive.”

The whole AP article is worth reading. H/T TPM for putting the photo up this afternoon.