A Kiss and a Contest

When Rich and Corissa Dubord went to Hawaii on their honeymoon last month, they didn’t expect to be taking part in a contest.

The couple is participating in the Victory Kiss contest at the U.S.S. Missouri Battleship Memorial with the grand prize being two roundtrip tickets to Hawaii and two nights at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa.

In order to be in the contest, the couple had to reenact the famous kiss between a sailor and a nurse that took place in Times Square after Japan’s surrender to end WWII.

And couples have an outstanding example to guide their reenactments. “Unconditional Surrender,” a life-sized bronze sculpture by Seward Johnson, artist and son of the founder of Johnson and Johnson, is currently on loan to the Missouri, courtesy of The Sculpture Foundation. His sculpture is touring the country as part of the “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive!” initiative, a nationwide, grassroots effort to establish an annual day to honor the achievements of America’s WWII generation so that their courage, self-sacrifice and service will continue to inspire future generations of Americans.

The contest began on Sept. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. All of the photos have been posted on the battleship memorial’s Facebook page and the photo with the most “likes” will be the winner.

Corissa said that people have to “like” the photo itself, not just the page.

“Also, they do not need to be my friend to ‘like’ it,” she said.

To see the Dubord’s photo and to “like” it, click here.

The couple was married on Sept. 10 and spent nine days in Hawaii. On Sept. 24, also Corissa’s birthday, the couple did the photo. She said that while on the way to the U.S.S. Missouri Battleship tour, the guide told them about the Victory Kiss contest and encouraged us them do it, especially since they were honeymooners – the only ones on that tour.

“I was excited and kept saying ok we have to do it before we leave,” Corissa, a 2000 graduate, said. “Rich wasn't so thrilled about it but once we learned more about it and actually did it, he was very excited and glad we did it. He ended up being more into getting all the votes than I was. We thought it was really neat and we were so glad we did it!”

Corissa said the couple, who lives in Tolland, decided to do the full Pearl Harbor tour while on Oahu – which included Pearl Harbor itself, the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, the U.S.S. Missouri Battleship, and the Punchbowl National Cemetery.

“Pearl Harbor was such a monumental time in history and it was something we just had to experience,” Corissa said. “We left there with so much more knowledge of what truly took place that day in 1941 and with much more appreciation of those who served during that time.”