Love in the Time of War: Vintage Photos of Soldiers Sharing Last Kisses

   

The act of saying goodbye is always an emotional one, especially when it’s to loved ones who are going to war. The vintage photos of soldiers kissing their girlfriends, wives, or even kids before getting deployed or going to war capture the human side of war.

The shots depict the immense sacrifices that soldiers and their loved ones had to make during World War II.

Many of them knew they might not make it back home alive. These photos captured the raw emotions of those moments, soldiers hugging their loved ones tightly, looking into their eyes, and kissing them goodbye.

These moments of goodbye display the deep love and commitment that soldiers and their families had for one another, despite the challenges and uncertainty that lay ahead.

The old photographs serve as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices that soldiers and their families made during times of war. War is not solely about the soldiers who fight on the front lines; it is also about the families left behind.

Love During Wartime photos

Korean War Goodbye Kiss, Los Angeles, Sept. 6, 1950.

The duration of time that soldiers spent overseas during World War II varied based on the location and mission. Some soldiers were deployed for several months, while others were sent overseas for several years.

For example, soldiers who fought in the European theater typically spent longer periods away from home than those who served in the Pacific theater. In general, soldiers stationed overseas for a year or more were not allowed to take leave and return home.

Written correspondence provided soldiers with a much-needed connection to events back home. For families at home, receiving word from soldiers in the field provided additional assurance against fears of loss.

So many letters were exchanged between soldiers and their families during the Second World War that letters eventually had to be microfilmed to save space on cargo ships. This microfilmed mail was known as Victory mail, or V-mail.

Many letters sent home included detailed information about what daily military life was like, focusing on ordinary activities that took place between military operations.

Since letters were strictly censored, there was no specific information about the soldier’s location or the military operation they were affiliated with.

Correspondence sent from loved ones at home, on the other hand, was full of local details, such as weather, sports teams, gossip, or family matters.

Love During Wartime photos

American Soldiers Getting Last Kiss On Ship Before Deployment To Egypt, 1963.

Love During Wartime photos

A Sailor Kissing A Nurse In New York’s Times Square. This Iconic Photo Symbolizes The End Of World War II, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

A Young Woman Lifts Her Feet While Embracing And Kissing A Uniformed Us Soldier At The Train Station, Connecticut, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

Farewell To Departing Troops At New York’s Penn Station, April 1943.

Love During Wartime photos

A Woman Leans Over The Railing To Kiss A British Soldier Returning From World War II, London, 1940.

Love During Wartime photos

Jean Moore Kneels And Kisses Her Fiancé, Wheelchair-Bound World War II Veteran Ralph Neppel, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

Saying Goodbye At The Train Station Before Departing To WWII.

Love During Wartime photos

A Soldier Comes Home From War, 1940s.

Love During Wartime photos

American Soldier Kissing His English Girlfriend On Lawn In Hyde Park, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

Soldiers Departing For Egypt Lean Out Of Their Windows To Kiss Their Loved Ones Goodbye, 1935.

Love During Wartime photos

Farewell To Departing Troops At New York’s Penn Station, April 1943.

Love During Wartime photos

Coffee Served On Porch Of Ante-Bellum Mansion, At Party For Cadets From Local Army Flying School, Mississippi, US, 1943.

Love During Wartime photos

English Soldiers Saying Goodbye To Their Wives, Getting Ready To Go To Egypt, 1937.

Love During Wartime photos

An English ATS And Eighth Air Force Sergeant Enjoy A Blissful Kiss, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

A Sailor Leans Over A Picket Fence And Lifts His Girlfriend Up For A Kiss, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

A British Soldier Whispers Into The Ear Of A Loved One As He Leaves For The Front, 1939.

Love During Wartime photos

Saying Farewell To Departing Troops At New York’s Penn Station, April 1943.

Love During Wartime photos

US Soldier Tenderly Kissing His Girlfriend Goodbye Before Departing By Train, 1922.

Love During Wartime photos

A Young Woman On Roller Skates And Her Soldier Honey, 1940s.

Love During Wartime photos

US Soldier Giving Japanese Girl A Bicycle Ride, With Handlebar Riding Forbidden, 1946, Japan.

Love During Wartime photos

A GI And His Girl Walk Arm-In-Arm Among The Sheep In Kensington Gardens, London, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

A Girl Climbs To Say Her Goodbye To A Soldier Going Off To Fight In World War II, 1940.

Love During Wartime photos

A British Soldier Kisses His Wife On His Return From Serving With The Armed Forces, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

Couple In Penn Station Sharing Farewell Kiss Before He Ships Off To War, 1943.

Love During Wartime photos

Servicemen And Downtown Workers Embrace And Kiss In The Street As Word Of Surrender Flashed Through The Nation, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

A Kiss In Times Square Displays The Mood Of The World On V-E Day, New York, May 8, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

A Member Of The 1st Battalion Of The Manchester Regiment During A Quayside Reunion At Southampton Before The Unit Moves On Egypt.

Love During Wartime photos

Young Couple Chalking Hearts Onto A Tree, Valentine’s Day, 1944.

Love During Wartime photos

US Soldier And Local Girl Sharing A Chocolate Bar And Cigarettes, 1940s.

Love During Wartime photos

A Soldier Saying Goodbye To His Wife In Seattle, Leaving For World War I, 1917.

Love During Wartime photos

A Present For His Girlfriend, California, 1943.

Love During Wartime photos

An American GI And His French Girlfriend Holding One Another While On A Date, 1940s.

Love During Wartime photos

An American Soldier And A Frenchwoman Kissing In A Picture That Raised Eyebrows After Appearing In Life Magazine, 1944.

Love During Wartime photos

Soldier Is Welcomed Home At Long Beach Airport, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

Saying Farewell To Departing Troops At New York’s Penn Station, April 1943.

Love During Wartime photos

Soldier Kissing A Red Cross Nurse, 1945.

Love During Wartime photos

D. Brown Kissing Her Fiance Terry Under The Mistletoe, On Board The HMS Wakeful At Portsmouth, 1955.

Love During Wartime photos

Evacuated French Troops Relax On An English Beach.

Love During Wartime photos

Actress Martha O’driscoll Kisses A Soldier Goodbye In Los Angeles, 1941.

Love During Wartime photos

Kissing Their Lovers Goodbye, Toronto, 1914.

Love During Wartime photos

Comrades Heckle Soldier Kissing His Girlfriend Goodbye Before Leaving Waterloo Station, London, 1939.

Love During Wartime photos

A British Tommie Bestows A Last Kiss Upon His Rhineland Sweetheart As His Detachment Leaves For England As They Evacuate Germany. Konigstein, Germany, September 1929.

Love During Wartime photos

Husbands Kiss Their Wives After Coming Back From War, 1940s.

Love During Wartime photos

Soldier Is Greeted With A Kiss From His Ecstatic Wife As He Comes Home From France On Christmas.

(Photo credit: Pinterest / Flickr / US Army Archives).