Military Monday with John D. Gresham – The Kissing Sailor

Modern photojournalism as we know it today, has its roots in Antebellum America during the mid-1800s.  Evolved in the crucible of the American Civil War, photojournalism at its best is able to do something that audio, motion pictures and video cannot: capturing moments in time and create an iconic memory for the ages. Nowhere was this more true, then during the heyday of film-based image capture in World War II. Courageous and daring combat photojournalists like Robert Capa, Joe Rosenthal and Capt. Edward Steichen risked their lives around the world to capture the iconic images that defined combat during that era for a generation of Americans. But it was a single photograph, captured on the final day of World War II, in of all places Times Square, that every American associates with VJ ( Victory Over Japan) Day: Alfred Eisenstadt's classic The Kissing Sailor. Made world-famous by its publication in LIFE Magazine, The Kissing Sailor stood as proof to a weary America that the war was over, and peace was at hand.

To learn more about The Kissing Sailor, join military historian, author and journalist John D. Gresham (@greshamj01) for Military Monday at 1 p.m. Eastern. His guests this week are U.S. Naval Institute Press (@USNIPress) authors Lawrence Verria and George Galdorisi (@GeorgeGaldorisi), the writers of the book, The Kissing Sailor. Together they will discuss this famous photo, along with the search for the sailor and nurse who encountered Mr. Eisenstadt and his camera that August day. Listeners are encouraged to call and offer questions and about one of the most iconic images ever captured on film.

For more: http://www.usni.org/store/books/aircraft-reference/american-fighters/kissing-sailor