Is the VA banning iconic WWII kiss photo? Secretary McDonough says photo will stay

WASHINGTON − Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said the federal agency is not banning a famous WWII photograph after the circulation of a memo online declared the image banned from all Veterans Health Administration facilities.

The photo depicts a sailor kissing a woman when Japan surrendered in World War II.

According to the memo, first posted on X, formerly Twitter, Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Operations RimaAnn Nelson requested the removal of the photo from all Veterans Health Administration facilities.

A VA official told USA TODAY the memo was sent out and should not have been, and has been rescinded.

McDonough addressed the issue on X, formerly Twitter, saying the image will not be banned.

"Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities − and we will keep it in VA facilities," McDonough wrote.

The memo, posted by the "End Wokeness" Twitter account, resulted in the VA facing criticism for being too politically correct for banning the iconic photo. The famous photograph, called "V-J Day in Times Square," was taken in 1945 in New York City and depicts how joyful Americans and people across the world felt at the end of the war. LIFE photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the shot.

The iconic photo, which was turned into a statue in Sarasota, Florida, was vandalized in 2019 and spray painted with #MeToo, representing the movement that brought attention to those who experienced sexual abuse and harassment, NBC News reported.

The photo "depicts a non-consensual act" that is "inconsistent with the VA's no-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and assault," Nelson said in the memo.

She said employees should "promptly" remove the photo and find replacements that "honor our history and veterans in a manner consistent with our values."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: VA's McDonough says WWII kiss photo stays after rescinded memo bans it