Former US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert Stirm, the prisoner of war whose emotional family reunion was captured in the iconic 'Burst of Joy' photograph, has died at the age of 92.
His daughter, Lorrie Stirm Kitching, confirmed that he passed away on Veterans Day at an assisted living facility in Fairfield, California.
The Iconic Moment of Homecoming
The celebrated black-and-white image, titled 'Burst of Joy', was taken by Associated Press photographer Sal Veder on St. Patrick's Day in 1973 at Travis Air Force Base in California. It depicts a euphoric scene where Stirm's family rushes towards him, his 15-year-old daughter Lorrie captured mid-sprint with her arms outstretched and both feet off the ground.
The photograph, which shows Stirm in uniform with his back to the camera, was published in newspapers across the United States. It went on to win a Pulitzer Prize and remains a powerful symbol marking the end of direct US involvement in the Vietnam War.
"It's right in my front foyer," said Kitching, now 68, of the famous picture. "Just the feelings of that and the intensity of the feeling will never leave me. It is so deep in my heart, and the joy and the relief that we had our dad back again."
Years of Captivity and a Secret Code
Stirm's journey to that joyful moment was one of immense hardship. A decorated pilot serving with the 333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, his F-105 Thunderbird was shot down over North Vietnam on 27 October 1967.
He was hit three times while parachuting and was captured immediately upon landing. Stirm endured 1,966 days as a prisoner of war, held in five different POW camps in and around Hanoi.
One of these was the notorious Hanoi Hilton, a facility infamous for the torture and starvation of its captives, who were primarily American pilots. Its most famous inmate was the late US Senator John McCain, who was also shot down in 1967.
McCain and Stirm knew each other. Kitching revealed they shared a wall while in solitary confinement and communicated using a tapping code. "John McCain tapped in this joke. First time Dad laughed in jail," she said. "I just wish I knew what that joke was. I'm sure it was something very ribald."
The Bittersweet Reality Behind the Photo
Despite the public perception of a perfect homecoming, the 'Burst of Joy' photograph also represented a personal heartbreak for Robert Stirm. Upon his release, a chaplain handed him a 'Dear John' letter from his wife, Loretta.
The letter stated, "I have changed drastically... Bob, I feel sure that in your heart you know we can’t make it together." Stirm later told the AP that while he had copies of the photo, he did not display it in his house, as it brought "a lot of notoriety and publicity to me and, unfortunately, the legal situation that I was going to be faced with."
The couple divorced a year after his return and both remarried within six months, though they remained in contact for family events. Loretta Adams died of cancer in 2010.
Reflecting on the complexity of her parents' story, Kitching said, "It hurt really deeply. She told him she wanted to make the marriage work. But she was being up front and honest. So every story has two sides."
Stirm retired from the Air Force in 1977 after 25 years of service. He later worked for his grandfather's business, Ferry Steel Products, in San Francisco and as a corporate pilot.
