SARASOTA, Fl. — The Unconditional Surrender statue in Sarasota, Florida that depicts the iconic 1945 Times Square photo in which a sailor kissed a nurse during a celebration of Japan’s surrender in World War II has been vandalized, according to police.
Police were alerted of the vandalism, which entailed #MeToo being spray-painted in red on the statue, around 12:53 a.m. Tuesday. It’s believed that the vandalism occurred Monday between the mid-afternoon and evening hours, the same day George Mendonsa — who maintained for decades he was that sailor in the picture — died.
The vandalism has since been removed but police say the approximate damage is estimated to be more than $1,000 due to the large area that the graffiti covers and the resources needed to repair it.
