A recent memo from the Department of Veterans Affairs to its regional offices directed all copies of the iconic World War II photo of a sailor kissing a woman in Times Square on V-J Day to be removed from agency facilities because it depicts a “non-consensual act.”
RimaAnn Nelson, the VA’s assistant secretary of health for operations, sent the Feb. 29 memo calling for the prompt removal of the photo — capturing a historic moment of public jubilation after Japan surrendered in 1945 — saying it was “inconsistent with the VA’s no-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and assault.”
But on Tuesday, VA Secretary Denis McDonough intervened, saying the photograph can remain. “Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities — and we will keep it in VA facilities,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
Nelson wrote in the memo that the placement of the photo in VA facilities was originally meant to commemorate the end of World War II and the return of American troops, but that perspectives on historical events “evolve.”
“To foster a more trauma-informed environment that promotes the psychological safety of our employees and the veterans we serve, photographs depicting the ‘V-J Day in Times Square’ should be removed from all Veterans Health Administration facilities,” she wrote in the memo. . . . (read more on Military.com)
EXCLUSIVE:
The Department Of Veterans Affairs just BANNED the V-J Day kiss photo from all department facilities.
“To promote a culture of inclusivity and awareness… your cooperation is vital.” pic.twitter.com/MZfNHbpV76
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 5, 2024
Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities – and we will keep it in VA facilities. pic.twitter.com/dYSikLxHAJ
— Secretary Denis McDonough (@SecVetAffairs) March 5, 2024
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DAINES, ZINKE BLAST BIDEN VA FOR PRIORITIZING WOKE AGENDA (Press Release, 6 MAR 24)
Call for Termination of VA Bureaucrat Responsible for Directive to Remove Iconic World War II V-J Day in Times Square Photograph from VA Facilities
U.S. CONGRESS — U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Congressman Ryan Zinke (MT-01) today blasted President Biden’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for prioritizing a woke agenda instead of focusing on the care of our nation’s veterans. Daines and Zinke sent a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough demanding accountability after an official VA memorandum directing the removal of the iconic V-J Day in TimesSquare photograph from VA health care facilities was released. Full letter below.
Dear Secretary McDonough,
We write today demanding the firing of RimaAnn Nelson, Assistant Under Secretary for Health Operations at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and request on behalf of our nation’s 16 million veterans that your department abandon its woke agenda and refocus all of its resources on serving and caring for the veterans who sacrificed for our country.
Recently you were forced to take corrective action to rescind a VHA memorandum issued by Ms. Nelson that banned the “V-J Day in Times Square” photograph from all medical facilities. This politically driven memo was authored for the absurd purpose of fostering a “more trauma-informed environment that promotes psychological safety.” Sadly, this pursuit was only the most recent in a long line of misguided actions and woke agendas dictating the management of the VA. It is alarming that this is not only a common occurrence under your leadership, but a reoccurring theme under this administration of politics being a focal point of the VA instead of a veteran centric mission.
Not only was this proposed policy ill-conceived, but it was also somehow deemed a VHA operational priority during a time when there are significant issues with recruitment and retention, hiring freezes, and budgetary constraints. It raises the question of VHA’s organizational structure and the qualifications of some of its core management.
To that end, in addition to firing Ms. Nelson immediately, we believe the veterans of this country are owed very specific answers to the following questions:
What is the process for drafting and approving VHA operations memos such as the one referenced?
Did the Office of Management and Budget, Domestic Policy Council or the White House provide input for this guidance?
Was a draft of this memorandum provided to the Office of the Executive Secretary for review or approval?
How was this policy deemed to benefit either veterans or health care operations?
What other memorandum has Ms. Nelson promulgated?
The VA needs to reassess its priorities and start putting veterans at the center of their everyday operating posture. This cannot begin to happen with leadership structures advocating political policies over veteran priorities and those responsible for this misguided memo need to be held accountable, starting with the termination of Ms. Nelson’s employment at the VA.
To download the letter, click HERE.
Woke VA official who pushed to remove WWII kiss photo ‘mismanaged’ St. Louis hospital where vets were reportedly exposed to HIV (New York Post, 6 MAR 24)
She’s the kiss of death for hospitals.
The woke Veterans Affairs official who ordered hospitals to take down the iconic Times Square V-J-Day kissing photo previously mismanaged a Missouri hospital so badly, she was condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Smooch-bashing VA bigwig RimaAnn Nelson headed the department’s St. Louis hospital for more than three years, during which time the facility was rated worst in the country — with patients allegedly left in their feces for days, and more than 1,800 of our nation’s heroes being exposed to HIV and hepatitis from unsterilized dental equipment, reports said.
“What happened in the dental clinic shouldn’t have ever happened,” an employee told an ensuing congressional investigation.
“If people were taking their jobs seriously, not passing the buck and pointing the finger, none of this would have happened.” . . . (read more)
VA official who tried to ban iconic WWII kissing photo has controversial history: ‘Unequivocally offensive’ (Fox News, 7 MAR 24)
. . . . Nelson was appointed to be head of the Phoenix VA in 2016, which prompted outrage from then Democratic Rep. and now Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, along with former Republican Rep. Matt Salmon, who wrote a letter to then-President Obama calling for a reconsideration of Nelson’s appointment due to her previous tenure at the St. Louis VA hospital.
When I first heard of the VA’s latest appointment in Phoenix, I immediately felt it must be some sort of a cruel joke,” Salmon wrote at the time. “After working with the Phoenix veteran community for years, I know they deserve better.”
“To think that Ms. Nelson, with her less-than-impressive past, is the best possible candidate to provide crucial leadership for the facility equated to ‘ground zero’ of the VA scandal is unequivocally offensive to us and each of the veterans we represent.”
Nelson served as the director of the St. Louis VA hospital from 2009 to 2013, during a time when veterans were reportedly exposed to HIV and hepatitis. CNN reported that an investigation found that “staff in St. Louis had not been trained to sterilize equipment, and according to a whistleblower, the poor sanitation contributed to infections.”
According to a report from AZ Central, investigators followed up to see if the problem had been addressed at the facility, and they had not. The Daily Caller reported that conditions were so bad that veterans were left sitting in feces for “days.”
Despite the documented problems at the hospital, Nelson reportedly received more than $25,000 in bonuses.
Nelson’s time only ended in St. Louis after she transferred to a facility in the Philippines, a decision made by her, where she earned $160,000 per year living in a country known for a low cost of living.
Nelson’s tenure leading the Phoenix VA was controversial as well.
Fox News reported that the Phoenix facility was “ranked as one of the worst in the country in 2017” after Nelson was hired in 2016. . . . .
RimaAnn Nelson, the VA’s assistant secretary of health for operations, should be removed from position. WOKE policies should be removed from all military branches and any person “pushing” this ideology should be immediately removed from his/her /it’s job! PATHETIC, WOKE people have no place in our great military. Hopefully President Trump will begin the transition back to normalcy in our military and country.
Incompetent VA employee moves up the ladder in VA. Thanks to a few congress members for holding her accountable.