Want to ‘Save the Kiss’ at the Midway Museum? Here's How

A public campaign was announced Thursday to seek donations for a permanent bronze replacement of the “Unconditional Surrender” statue near the USS Midway Museum.

Organizers said the private portion of the “Save the Kiss” campaign raised about $600,000 of the $850,000 needed to bring the new statue to the bay.

The original – a likeness of the iconic photograph of a sailor and nurse embraced in a kiss in New York's Times Square at the end of World War II – is scheduled to leave next month.

The first $100,000 in donations will be matched by the Midway Museum, said Mac McLaughlin, its president and CEO.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to honor the 16 million men and women who defended America in World War II,” McLaughlin said. “We are proud to offer San Diego the opportunity to add its voice to the chorus of Americans who honor our men and women in uniform.”

The proposed 25-foot-high replacement statue would be located near the Midway and include a line of cherry trees and a “Walk of Honor.”

“Hundreds of tourists and local residents visit ‘The Kiss’ everyday,” McLaughlin said.

Donations can be made online at midway.org/save-the-kiss, or by texting “kiss” to 80888 to give $10 instantly.

All donors will have their names listed aboard the museum for two years, while those who give $500 will be allowed to inscribe an “in honor of” name at the statue's site.

Organizers of the fundraising drive hope to collect the necessary money before Memorial Day, and to install the new statue by the end of this year.

– City News Service