declined to be interviewed. "I can't help but feel ambivalent about it," Stirm says today of the photograph. he returned from Vietnam, and each remarried within six months. Publicada el junio 4, 2022 por junio 4, 2022 por On October 27, 1967, Stirm was shot down over Hanoi while leading a flight of F-105s on a bombing mission, and was not released until March 14, 1973. "She had a rough job, raising four children on her own," Lorrie says. Lorrie Stirm, the girl with her arms outstretched to her father, was a 15 year old student at the time. She centre mdical europe dermatologue The matter was not lost on the judge, who had noted Lorettas infidelity while Stirm was enduring torture, isolation and fake executions. I have your pictures up and your certificates and have kept you very much with us while you were gone and the children have not forgotten their father. "We didn't know if he would ever come home," Lorrie says. She had Veder's pick, which he instantly titled Burst of Joy, was sent out over the news-service wires". CLICK VIETSN - VietBF - Vietnamese Best Forum. You could feel the energy and the raw emotion in the air, Veder said of the moment. It portrays everybody there was happy to see me.". "I have several copies of the photo," he said, "but I don't display it in the house." the ground, face split wide in a giddy smile. Burst of Joy is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Associated Press photographer Slava 'Sal' Veder, taken on March 17, 1973 at Travis Air Force Base in California. [10], After Burst of Joy was announced as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, all of the family members depicted in the picture received copies. [5], Lorrie Stirm appeared on Antiques Roadshow Season 27 Episode 1 on January 2, 2023 seeking an appraisal for an archive of items relating to the event: Lorrie's personal print of the famous photograph (signed by the photographer in 1990), Lt. Col. Stirm's prison uniform, Red Cross luggage with North Vietnamese tag, a spoon engraved Lt. Col. Stirm with a thunderbolt during his imprisonment and a pair of sandals the North Vietnamese claimed were made from the wheels of Stirm's crashed plane. A 2005 article about the family in Smithsonian magazine, however, reports that "All four of Robert Stirm Sr.'s children [including Lorrie Stirm Kitching, now 53 and the mother of two sons] have a copy of Burst of Joy hanging in a place of honor on their walls. In his home near San Francisco, a Vietnam history book is opened to that Stirm laughs. "That moment was all our prayers answered, all our wishes come true.". It portrays (that) everybody there was happy to see me.. She also received the home and 42.9 percent of It's not just," Stirm says today. The children and I She lived a lie. He followed in his fathers footsteps; he is a captain in the Air Force based in Panama City. you can do something about it. The family story it was telling was of the United States. Cindy Pierson, a waitress, resides in Walnut Creek with her husband and has a daughter in college. However, one can only fathom what exclusive and vile corner of Hell awaits those who cheat on spouses held in captivity by an enemy during wartime. Close behind on the Tarmac, also running, are his two grinning boys, his younger daughter and his tall, attractive wife. "It never would have gone away in my mind, but seeing that photo brings it all back again--just all the joy that was there." [8] Stirm was later promoted to full Colonel and retired from the Air Force in 1977. From left to right, Lt Col Robert L. Stirm, Lorrie Stirm, Bo Stirm, Cindy Stirm, Loretta Stirm, and Roger Stirm. From left to right, Lt Col Robert L. Stirm, Lorrie Stirm, Bo Stirm, Cindy Stirm, Loretta Stirm, and Roger Stirm. Lives in Waynesboro, Georgia. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. He gazed at it. "I just wanted to get to Dad as fast as I could," Lorrie says. Thats a strong incentive.. "It's a wonderful piece of history that we just happened to stumble into," she said. [5] People recognized this photo, he said. Our mission is to get Southern California reading and talking. [3], USAF Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Stirm made a speech[4] "on behalf of himself and other POWs who had arrived from Vietnam as part of Operation Homecoming. Roger, 12 at the time, trails everyone, wearing a ski jacket. To the end she was courageous, uncomplaining and a valiant spirit as she bravely fought cancer. Arrangements by Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home, 2900 Williams Drive, Georgetown, Texas 78628 (512)863-2564. Its not fair. the woman in the famous black-and-white photo - his former wife, Loretta - [5] Lorrie later recounted in 2003: "We were in a car behind the aircraft on the tarmac, and then they said, "You can get out now." Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. M Lorrie ti hn nm 1974 v sng Texas cng chng mi. And Lorrie Stirm Kitching, now 47, is an executive administrator and mother of two sons. Lorettas mindset was nothing new. His older daughter is racing to meet him, arms outstretched, both feet off the ground, face split wide in a giddy smile. In the lead is 15 year old Lorrie followed by Robert Jr., Cindy, Roger and wife Loretta. She lives in Mountain View, California, with her husband. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. Because his back is to the camera, as Veder points out, the officer seems anonymous, an everyman who represented not only the hundreds of POW's released that spring but all the troops in Vietnam who would return home to the mothers, fathers, wives, daughters and sons they'd left behind. school; they were married in 1955 when she was 19. He running, are his two grinning boys; his younger daughter; his tall, attractive Three days before Stirm landed at Travis, a chaplain had handed him a Dear John letter from his wife. . (650) 342-1481 that St. Patrick's Day in 1973, but she alluded to it in the letter handed to turned 11 two days before her father returned home. Stirm was awarded custody of Lorrie and Robert Jr.; Loretta was given Enter a grandparent's name. On March 13, 1973, photographer Slava 'Sal' Veder captured the moment that Vietnam war veteran and POW Lt. Col. Robert Stirm was reunited with his family.Stirm had been held in Vietnam for nearly six years, and this photograph came to represent not only his personal victory in returning home, but also the path to healing the United States needed to embark on after the Vietnam War. She also received the family home and 42.9% of Stirms retirement pay, though the judge noted a great deal of evidence was presented to show a pattern of misconduct on her part during Stirms imprisonment. He pointed to the picture, to the tall woman--just outpacing her younger son--dressed in a blue-and-white pleated skirt and blue sweater, sporting a large corsage. Life is too short.. Its not fair. paid.". It was Christmas morning. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. Boyle, John, director. Across party lines, across religious, social and economic classifications people will be grateful for life. He endured nearly six years of mock executions, torture, illness, and starvation while living in the notorious Hanoi Hilton. She started to run toward a soldier. The content of this webpage may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written consent of Bright Mountain Media, Inc. which may be contacted at info@brightmountainmedia.com, ticker BMTM. Norman Kitching Norm Kitching Nue Kitching Lorrie Kitching Norman D N Kitching E J Norman. He gazes at it. Bob and Loretta met at a party just after he graduated from Air Force cadet They divorced a year after Stirm returned from Vietnam, and each remarried within six months. My Favourite Wishlist Login / Signup My account Wishlist Login / Signup My account Lives in Tahoe City, CA. Stirm retired from the Air Force in 1977 after 25 years of service. This picture does not show the realities that she had accepted proposals of marriage from three different men, he said. The story behind the famous photo of a family's reunion after a father, a POW, returns from Vietnam is significantly less joyous than the imagery implies. favorite dress, a black jumper with a lacy pinafore, knee socks and Mary Within hours, Veders image was on the cover of most newspapers across the country and earned him a Pulitzer Prize. "You could feel the energy and the raw emotion in the air," says Veder, then 46, who had spent much of the Vietnam era covering antiwar demonstrations in San Francisco and Berkeley. Concord, Calif. His sister, Cindy, is his office manager. SUPPORTING UKRAINE TOGETHER. . Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. 1/2-year-old self about to leap into her father's arms, her airborne feet in Lorrie Stirm Kitching [the girl running to greet her father, who had been released in 1973 after fives years in a Hanoi prison] 'We have this very nice picture of a very happy moment, but every time I look at it, I remember the families that weren't reunited, and the ones that aren't being reunited today many, many families and I think, I'm one of the lucky ones.' Lorrie is survived by her husband; Thomas B. Adams, children; Lorrie Kitching (Norm), Robert Stirm, Roger Stirm (Nevert), Cindy Pierson (Steve), loving grandchildren, siblings; Janis. Burst of Joy is not an image of the Stirm family. But the photo per se didn't really change my life - it was my father She works in the sales department of FOSTER CITY, Calif. His older daughter is racing to meet him, arms outstretched, both feet off the ground, face split wide in a giddy smile. Terms of Use Stirm's anger and bitterness these two decades later seem directed more at The children and I never missed a night saying a prayer for your safe return. . Still, he said, the couple have come together for weddings and other family events, and all four children are on good terms with both parents. In every home there is something broken; a dream unfulfilled, a relationship torn apart or a heart broken. She is wearing her favorite dress, a black jumper with a lacy pinafore, knee socks and Mary Janes. Roger, 12 at the time, trails everyone, wearing a ski jacket. I cant begin to tell you how proud we are of you. +91-9879950702 Monday - Friday 10:00 - 7:30 Rakhiyal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat . It never would have gone away in my mind, but seeing that photo brings it all back again just all the joy that was there.. Roger, a major in the Air Force, lives outside Seattle. Public records show that the phone number (650) 868-9120 is linked to Norman E Kitching, Steven C Donley. To Stirm, now 60, it is cruel irony that so public a reunion had so hollow a core. I was so young. Even though there were only twenty POWs of that first increment released aboard the plane, almost 400 family members turned up for the homecoming. The last assessment recorded was taken in the year 2015 with a value of 283184. To a war-weary nation, a U.S. POWs return from captivity in Vietnam in 1973 looked like the happiest of reunions, Sitting in the back seat of a station wagon on the tarmac at Travis Air Force Base, in California, clad in her favorite fuchsia miniskirt, 15-year-old Lorrie Stirm felt that she was in a dream. Incentive.. `` it 's a wonderful piece of history that we just happened to stumble into ''!.. `` it 's a wonderful piece of history magazines n't help but ambivalent... And the raw emotion in the house. 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