Departing Troops Saying Goodbye to their Loved Ones at New York City's Penn Station During WWII, April 1943

At the height of the Second World War, LIFE’s photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured these fraught farewell kisses in New York City in April 1943. While bidding their sweethearts farewell, these young men faced the possibility that they might never return home. Standing in front of the gates that lead to the trains, they hold each other tightly, not caring who sees.

Eisenstaedt’s photographs tell the moving story of each goodbye. Sometimes, the girl stands with her arms around the boy’s waist and her hands tightly clasped behind her back. While tears fall onto his coat, another fits her head against his cheek. Sometimes, the boy will take her face between his hands and speak reassuringly to her. They may just stand quietly without saying anything when the wait is long. They are all characterized by sadness and tenderness and oblivious to anything but their own heartaches for the moment.

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