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Gregory Bull / AP
A section of the previous version of the statue "Unconditional Surrender" shown as it was being removed in May 2012.
San Diego held a party for a 25-foot tall couple along the Embarcadero Saturday as the sculpture "Unconditional Surrender" was welcomed with a public dedication.
A large crowd of people celebrated the giant sculpture many call the "Kissing Statue" or "The Kiss" in downtown San Diego Saturday.
“We are in San Diego, we have the greatest number of veterans and active duty of any community in the nation,” San Diego Mayor Bob Filner said. “This belongs here.”
Filner and a number of public officials spoke, a military band played and many couples took their own pictures re-enacting "The Kiss" in front of the statue.
The infamous embrace starring a sailor and a nurse is an iconic image of the end of World War II.
Port Commissioner Lou Smith said he’s always seeing young people whose parents weren’t even born before 1945 taking photos in front of the sculpture.
“This is the most magical place of all,” Smith said. “Whoever sprinkled pixie dust on it did a great job.”
Read more stories at NBCSanDiego.com
It made its grand return on Wednesday morning – just in time for Valentine’s Day.
For the ceremony, the theme of renewing love continued when nearly a dozen couples renewed their vows at the foot of the statue.
David Moore flew bombing runs over Germany in World War II.
He said he and his wife, Claire, remember seeing the embrace on the news after the end of the war.
View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.
They joined the couples in renewing their vows.
“It’s very sentimental,” Moore said of the public sculpture.
When he sees it, he thinks of how happy he was that they could get back to civilian life.
David and Mary Flohr, engaged in 1947, also renewed their vows Saturday. The couple has three children 8 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren all living in San Diego.
John Sax, who served in the South Pacific in World War II as well as in Korea, was very happy to see the statue return.
He called it, “a perfect example of people showing their love of the serviceman."
"Unconditional Surrender" left San Diego last May. That statue was owned by Santa Monica-based Sculpture Foundation and was on loan to the Port from 2007 to 2012.
Since then, more than $1 million was raised through public donations to bring a permanent replica back to the bayfront.
Bill Craddock is a member of San Diego’s Pearl Harbor Survivors. The chapter, one of the largest in the nation according to Craddock, has 42 members here in San Diego.
As for the controversy over whether the statue is a worthy piece of public art, he has this to say.
“Art lovers don’t love it but the people love it and that’s what counts,” he said.
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I cannot recall if the two actual people in the original photo are still alive (anyone?) but I cannot help but wonder if they are being acknowledged for this iconic American moment. If not, they should be, in my opinion.
cpohio: I don't know about the sailor, but the death of the nurse was reported fairly recently. Can't remember when, but I'm pretty sure is was within the last year or two. Considering how long it has been, I would guess the sailor is gone by now, too.
LOL! Like a lot of movies I go see. The "professional" critics hate it and I like! :)
The image is iconic, peace and love should be celebrated, and the statue belongs in SD, I'm just not sure what I think about the cartoon-like rendition.......
Just so you all know I an american, there should be one in every town. LOVE is much better than the GARABGE guns you GARABGE americans ( republicans) are so freaky about.
And leave it to an ignorant (democrat) to bring politics into a great story. Give it a rest for once. Shows how much "LOVE" you have in your heart, troll.
allen the thumb-dick moron. Go away Skippy.
I think WW2 vets should have the last say on this. They fought and died for a kiss.
"Artists don't love it.....". Who cares?! The people do, and that's what counts!
Good for you, San Diego!
I like it. It's a reminder of a better time in America. The war was over, there were a hell of a lot less people. Chicago and Detroit were still a damned good place to live, now it's a slum. Now we have Millions upon millions of Mexicans, Muslims, Somalias, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. Yes it was a much better time back then. People nowadays don't know how nice America really was. Political correctness and Greedy Big Business ruined it for all of us.
Tarzan you ignorant twit. This country was founded, built and grew prosperous by immigrants. Last time I checked the statue in New York Harbor was not the Statue of Exclusiveness that said on her tablet give me only your rich and upperclass only, it says give me your tired, your poor.
when it comes to art the experts are drips relieved of all pressure the people know what good art is when they see it
I LOVE IT!!!! PROBLEM is the country won't because it's not F-N GAY
If it was two butt pirates kissing, the so-called art lovers would fall all over each other to go see it.
How about a photo of the statute, instead of one of only a portion of the earlier statute that was removed???
I love the idea of the statue but did it have to be rendered in such a tacky way.
The real "The Kiss" sculpture is located in the Musée Rodin in Paris.
What the heck, I came here expecting to see a statue of KISS, I am so disappointed :(.
I don't remember the sailor holding a tiny, little, black kid in the photo. Must have seen a cropped version...? Maybe a good luck charm. He's definitely pocket sized....
It's in Mexifornia so it's controversial because it's white people. If the statue was of a mexican it would be right at home.
Wouldn't they understand? They were not doing this type of thing back when the WWII War Vets where coming home......DAH How STUPID are these people?
I clicked on this expecting to see Ace Frehley :(
You're not the only one but we've already been admonished that we should know the difference between KISS and Kiss. Again. We're not worthy!
We're not worthy!
The original photograph is wonderful. This isn't the original photo, it isn't even the original statue. The original photo is still under copyright, so another photographer's shot was used for the statue. Times Square is not in San Diego. This is three dimensional mock-up of someone elses art, like all those plaster and plastic versions of Dürer's praying hands. Patroitism and piety are ripe sources for bad art, like presidential chia pets and Sallman's "The Head of Christ", and people love it. That's what keeps all those collectible figurine companies in business. I suppose we should be thankful it doesn't rotate and play "God Bless America"
Interesting to note one couple "remember seeing it on the news". That's likely a bit of confabulation, since the original was magazine photo and the only visual news was in newreels, unless they somehow saw it on the radio.
Thank you! A statue of Mickey Mouse would have been better that this tacky POS. BTW. Rotating and playing G*D bless America. Please, don't give them any ideas!
Couldn't the artist have made a statue of two people kissing not using either gender? I believe I hear a law suit in the back ground.
It looks like a ridiculous parade float !
*YAWN*
There's a statue just like this in Sarasota. It's pretty tacky, but the old people love it.
So what did Filner have to do with it??? He's been anti-Military since the 80's and even when an overseer of the VA...Just like Obama, grabbing the credit for something that is not his...gosh I can't believe a Military town like San Diego voted for this smuck...Oh I forgot, Union bought and Paid for..now I remember..He's still a smuck..Think Bloomberg is bad, wait til this smuck gets going....
I wish I had a "crap comment" filter - it would drastically reduce the number of comments on most articles to just a few. An additional "useful comment" would reduce the number even further.
sorry that is ugly as all heck!
Now you know why San Diego got it. They really probably got it to catch the Old Geezer Bandit.