>>> THE CONTROVERSIAL STATUE OF
A SAILOR KISSING A NURSE WILL
SOON LEAVE SAN DIEGO'S SHORES,
BUT AN EXACT REPLICA MAY REPLACE
IT.
MY GUESTS ARE LEADING THE CHURCH
TO HAVE A PERMANENT VERSION OF
"UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER".
JOINING ME ARE ARCHITECT DONALD
REEVES AND PRESIDENT OF THE USS
MIDWAY MUSEUM MAC McLAUGHLIN.
WHY SHOULD SAN DIEGO HAVE THIS?
>> WELL, A COUPLE OF ANSWERS,
BUT IT'S ASSERTED ITSELF ON SO
MANY PEOPLE BY NOW, IT FEELS IT
BELONGS HERE.
EVERYBODY THAT'S SEEN IT,
WITHOUT EXCEPTION, AND I'VE
SPENT A LOT OF TIME DOWN THERE
-- THE COMMENTS ARE ALL
BEAUTIFUL COMMENTS THAT COME
BACK ABOUT THE SCULPTURE AND
WHAT IT ADDS TO THE OVERALL
SCENE OF THE WATERFRONT, AND THE
NAVY PRESENCE IN OUR CITY.
IT JUST ADDS TO THE WHOLE CITY'S
ATMOSPHERE AND THE DRAW THAT WE
HAVE AS A CITY.
>> MAC, THE MIDWAY IS STEPPING
IN TO RAISE ALMOST $1 MILLION.
MAKE THE CASE.
WHY SHOULD SAN DIEGANS CHIP IN
TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE STATUE?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS STATUE,
WHERE IT'S PLACED RIGHT NOW IN
SAN DIEGO, IS GOING TO BE A
TIMELESS PIECE.
CERTAINLY THERE WILL BE A LOT OF
PEOPLE OF SAN DIEGO WHO WON'T BE
CONTRIBUTING TO THIS, AND THEY
DON'T LIKE IT.
I THINK THE VAST MAJORITY WILL,
AND I THINK WE'LL BE SUCCESSFUL
IN RAISING THE MONEY WE NEED TO
CREATE THE PERMANENT BRONZE
STATUTE.
>> SOME PROMINENT MEMBERS OF THE
ARTS COMMUNITY HAVE SAID THIS IS
KITSCHY, THEY SAY IT'S
CARTOONISH.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE?
>> I UNDERSTAND AS STUDIERS OF
ART HOW THEY COULD COME TO THAT
CONCLUSION.
IF YOU TAKE IT OUT OF THE
CONTEXT IT'S IN RIGHT NOW YOU
COULD COME TO THAT CONCLUSION,
BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE MIDWAY
IN THE BACKGROUND, VETERANS PARK
SURROUNDING IT, THE MEMORIALS TO
THE GREATEST GENERATION
SURROUNDING IT -- REALLY, THAT'S
GOING TO BECOME AN ANCHOR TO
TUNA PARK IN THE FUTURE, AND
WHILE I'M RESPECTFUL OF THEIR
VIEWS, I ALSO GET TO OBSERVE THE
PUBLIC, WHO HAS FALLEN IN LOVE
WITH THAT STATUE, AND THAT'S WHY
WE WANT TO SAVE IT.
>> JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS
POPULAR, DOES THAT MEAN IT'S
GOOD, DON?
>> NO, AND WE'VE NEVER PURPORTED
THAT IT'S THE BEST OR FINEST.
IT'S NOT A DAVID.
BUT FOR SAN DIEGO, IT'S GREAT.
IT'S IN THE RIGHT SETTING.
AND IT'S THE RIGHT PIECE OF
SCULPTURE FOR THAT SPOT.
>> YOU SAY IT'S IN THE RIGHT
SETTING.
WE'VE HAD COMMENTERS ON OUR
WEBSITE AND THE UT SAN DIEGO WEB
SITE SAY, LOOK, YOU KNOW, THIS
STATUE COMMEMORATES THAN EVENT
THAT TOOK PLACE IN 1945 IN TIMES
SQUARE IN NEW YORK, IT'S NOT
EVEN A LOCAL EVENT, WHY DO WE
HAVE IT HERE.
>> IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT WHERE
IT OCCURRED.
I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE IWO
JIMA MONUMENT THAT'S IN
ARLINGTON CEMETERY, ALSO A
FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH OVERLOOKING
WASHINGTON, D.C., YOU HAVE A
TIMELESS TRIBUTE TO THE BRAVERY
OF THE MARINE CORPS.
WHEN I LOOK AT THE KISS, AND A
LOT OF THE PUBLIC LOOKS AT THE
KISS, THEY ARE FLASHED TO A TIME
WHEN AMERICA WAS UNITED, HAPPY,
SO PLEASED THAT WORLD WAR II WAS
FINALLY OVER, AND WHEN WE BUILD
THIS STATUE, WE WILL WRITE THAT
IN AN INSCRIPTION THERE, AND
PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT IT
REALLY MEANS.
IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT A SAILOR
KISSING A NURSE; IT'S NOT REALLY
ABOUT IT WAS IN TIMES SQUARE.
IT'S REALLY ABOUT A TIME IN OUR
NATION'S HISTORY WHERE WE WERE
AT PEACE, AND THE FUNDAMENTAL
NATURE OF AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO
LOVE IT WHEN ALL OF AMERICA IS
AT PEACE.
>> YOU SAY THAT THE PUBLIC HAS
FALLEN IN LOVE WITH IT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW
MANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE
TOURISTS AND HOW MANY ARE LOCAL?
>> I DON'T HAVE ANY SENSE OF IT.
I KNOW A LOT OF LOCALS WALK BY
IT AND ENJOY IT ON THEIR WAY TO
THE FISH MARKET, CONSTANTLY.
THE TOURISTS ARE GOING BY THERE,
YOU SEE TOURIST BUSES STOPPING
THERE, SCHOOL GROUPS GO THERE,
AND OVER TIME, THIS WILL BECOME
A GREAT, ICONIC SNAPSHOT OF SAN
DIEGO.
WHEN I SAW THE PICTURE OF THE
STATUE ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
WITH THE MIDWAY IN THE
BACKGROUND, IT'S JUST A SNAPSHOT
OF SAN DIEGO, IT RESONATED WITH
ME WITH ME AS THIS BEING A GREAT
NAVY TOWN WITH A WONDERFUL
VETERAN POPULATION AND A
WONDERFUL CITIZENRY THAT
SUPPORTS THAT, AND THAT'S WHY
THAT WORKS SO WELL DOWN THERE.
>> WHERE DO THE FUNDRAISING
EFFORTS STAND?
>> WE WILL BE AANNOUNCING VERY
SHORTLY WHERE WE STAND, AND WHAT
OUR PLAN IS, PROBABLY WITHIN THE
NEXT COUPLE WEEKS.
BY THE MIDDLE OF APRIL, WE'LL BE
COMING OUT WITH THE MIDWAY'S
ATTEMPT TO HELP DON REEVES, THE
MAN WHO HAS BROUGHT THIS TO SAN
DIEGO AND KEPT IT HERE FOR THE
LAST FIVE YEARS, TO BE
SUCCESSFUL, AND WE'LL GET THE
PAINTED BRONZE PERMANENT
SCULPTURE PUT DOWN THERE WITH A
NICE WALKWAY AND WONDERFUL
CHERRY TREES IN THE BACKGROUND
AND SOME BENCHES TO SIT, AND
PEOPLE WILL REALLY BE ABLE TO
ENJOY THE BAYSIDE.
>> MAC, DON, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US TODAY.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.