Burst of Joy

One of the most famous photos from the Vietnam War era was taken on March 17, 1973 at Travis Air Force Base in California by Sal Vedar. He won a Pulitzer Prize.

The Stirm family had not seen Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm for six years.  Stirm left for Vietnam in 1967 and flew 33 combat missions until he went down and was captured and held as a POW for 6 years. In one prison he shared a cell with John McCain. Col. Stirm arrived at the Air Force base while his family waited for him in their station wagon on the tarmac. He finished his speech and the family burst from the car to finally greet him. The oldest daughter Lorrie was the first to reach him followed by brother, Robert Jr.,  sister Cindy, mom Loretta and brother Roger.  Roger followed in his father's footsteps and became a Major in the Air Force.  Robert Jr. became a dentist, Lorrie an executive administrator and Cindy a waitress. Loretta and Robert were divorced within the year and both later remarried. What a bittersweet ending and an example of the devastating effects of war.