Performance by Coral Pea, PBS: Antique Roadshow, Public Broadcasting Service, 2 Jan. 2023, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 23:15. A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes the words are not as accurate as the actual image captured. "I just wanted to get to Dad as fast as I could," Lorrie says. "It seems like another lifetime ago," she says. Lorrie is related to Kathryn Ann Kitching and Norman E Kitching as well as 3 additional people. "I have changed drastically - forced into a situation where I finally had to grow up," the letter read in part. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. "Bob, I feel sure that in your heart you know we can't make it together--and it doesn't make sense to be unhappy when you can do something about it. Join our community book club. Her mother, Loretta, and three younger siblingsRobert Jr., Roger and Cindywere only steps behind. Why? Today, she is Cindy Pierson, the 31-year-old mother of an 8-year-old girl. The photo, taken by Sal Veder of The Associated Press, "brought a lot of . It brought basket after basket of fan mail and newspaper clippings from all over the world, she recalls. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. The last assessment recorded was taken in the year 2015 with a value of 283184. In the past, Lorrie has also been known as Lorrie D Stirm Clark, Lorrie A Stirm Kitching, Lorrie A Stirm-kitching, Lorrie A Stir and Lorrie A Stirmclark. 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.' And Loretta? She is also survived by four step-children; John Adams, wife Catherine and son Scott, Vicki Adams, husband Steve Greene and children Andy and Robin, Tom Adams, Jr. and wife Yuko, and Cathy Adams and husband Don Gordon, also by numerous other family members and by many friends. . Stirm was shot down over Hanoi on October 27, 1967, while leading a flight of F-105s on a bombing mission, and not released until March 14, 1973. I moved to Tampa in Sept 1974 and attended Chamberlain High for my senior year only. after the company that hired him as a corporate pilot went bankrupt. Los Angeles Time July 4, 1993.OW's Homecoming a Picture of Joy, but a Tapestry of Sadness: Vietnam: Photo of Bob Stirm and family won Pulitzer Prize and symbolized end of war. In every home there is something broken; a dream unfulfilled, a relationship torn apart or a heart broken. Her genuine joy of life was evident everyday and she enhanced the lives of everyone she met. Use (650) 968-1971 to contact Lorrie with caution. As for the rest of the family, Robert Jr. is a dentist in Walnut Creek, California; he and his wife have four children, the oldest of whom is a marine. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. Close behind on the Tarmac, also running, are his two grinning boys, his younger daughter and his tall, attractive wife. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "stirm" Flickr tag. It was Christmas morning. [1] [2] He rushed to a makeshift darkroom in a ladies' bathroom on the base (United Press International had commandeered the men's). The photograph Burst of Joy. "Bob, I feel sure that in your heart you know we can't make it together - and it doesn't make sense to be unhappy when you can do something about it. Retrieved from. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. young. The hypocrisy of the photo does not matter. 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. I wn't be able to make it to our 40 year HS reunion - is there anyone interested in getting together here in the San Francisco Bay Area? . [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. He followed in his father's After his promotion to Colonel and retirement in 1977, Stirm went to work for a steel company and as a corporate pilot. from time to time. He followed in his father's footsteps; he is a captain in the Air Force based in Panama City. For so many other children, their father's never came home from Vietnam. page of Stirm's life. . In less than half an hour, Veder and his AP colleague Walt Zeboski had developed six remarkable images of that singular moment. Stirm's anger and bitterness these two decades later seem directed more at [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." The teenager waited while her father stood in front of a jubilant crowd and made a brief speech on behalf of himself and other POW's who had arrived from Vietnam as part of "Operation Homecoming. Arrangements by Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home, 2900 Williams Drive, Georgetown, Texas 78628 (512)863-2564. a pattern of misconduct on her part during Stirm's imprisonment. She tore down the runway toward him with open arms, her spiritsand feetflying. "I have several copies of the photo," he said, "but I don't display it in the house." He I love you--we all love you, but you must remember how very unhappy we were together, it said. custody of Roger and Cindy. "It wasn't your fault - we are extremely unsuited and managed to make each other miserable. This property has an improvement value of $184,374. Auctioneer Joel Bohy valued the items as worth $2500-$3000 at auction, but said the "historical value on this is absolutely priceless. Three days before Stirm landed at Travis, a chaplain had handed him a Dear John letter from his wife. . Turning his camera to the charging family, Veder quickly shot a series of photos. 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.. He said he survived the torture, the mock executions, the dread-filled days and nights, so he could return to her, only to be handed a Dear John letter by a chaplain upon his release. It was Christmas morning. I would like to see you when you come home, but will understand if you would rather not.. brings it all back again - just all the joy that was there. was very young.". 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. Her mother remarried in 1974 and lives in Texas with her husband. the honor and integrity to be honest with the kids. Directly behind Lorrie in the photo is Cindy, the youngest child. "We have this very nice picture of a very happy moment," Lorrie says, "but every time I look at it, I remember the families that weren't reunited, and the ones that aren't being reunited todaymany, many familiesand I think, I'm one of the lucky ones. We were very excited. It wasnt your fault--we are extremely unsuited and managed to make each other miserable. Everybody's face is genuinely happy." Zip code 94040 (Mountain View) average rent price for two bedrooms is . The children and I never missed a night saying a prayer for your safe return. Robert's flight, as part of Operation Homecoming, brought 20 POWs back . Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the picture recently and saw her 15 C'tait le 17 mars 1973 et cela faisait six longues annes qu'elle n'avait pas vu son pre, le lieutenant-colonel Robert L. Stirm, pilote de chasse de l'arme de l'air abattu Hanoi en 1967, disparu ou emprisonn. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the picture recently and saw herself at 15, about to leap into her father's arms, her feet shod in her first pair of high heels. But for Stirm's older daughter, Lorrie Kitching, the photo captures a wonderful, pure moment in time. George Washington had complained vociferously about the flood of questionable foreign volunteers. The joy of this reunion leaps out from the pages of history: Bob Stirm, crisp in his Air Force uniform, was finally home after nearly 5 1/2 years in the prison camps of Vietnam. Its not just, Stirm said. and nights, so he could return to her, only to be handed a "Dear John" letter Photographer Slava 'Sal' Veder photographed the reunion of Vietnam war vet & Prisoner of war Lt. Col. Robert Stirm with his family on March 13, 1973. Building and using wood fired ovens, recipes, pizza, DIY, and forums The Pulitzer Prize-winning picture that captured that very personal yet most public of moments symbolizes the end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the bittersweet homecoming of 591 American POWs in 1973. To Stirm, 60, it is cruel irony that so public a reunion had so hollow a Lives in Tahoe City, CA. Loretta would later marry an attorney. It seems like another lifetime ago, she said. MediaSourcery, marketers of multimedia software. It's not just," Stirm said. It Didnt Work. They had four children together, and had been through a lot of good and bad, respectively. I dont feel like I was really a part of it. Within hours, Veders image was on the cover of most newspapers across the country and earned him a Pulitzer Prize. She passed away in 2010 at the age of 74. It brought basket after basket of fan mail and newspaper clippings from all over the world, she recalls. "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. The two youngest children, Cindy and Roger, remained with Loretta. It brought basket after basket of fan mail and newspaper clippings from all over the. . It brought basket after basket of fan mail and newspaper clippings from all over the world, she recalls. crisp in his Air Force uniform, was finally home after nearly 5 1/2 years in declined to be interviewed. Sign up for service and obituary updates. "We didn't know if he would ever come home," Lorrie says. Coating with lard! Just one grandparent can lead you to many He gazes at it. Hanoi Taxis, or C-141s, ferried the sick and wounded out first, followed by the taxis for those who had been imprisoned longest. How do you learn to discover joy even in the midst of sadness? Lorrie Kitching, ne Stirm, who was just nine years old when her father was shot down, later noted that her mother was quite young at the time and that raising four children on her own had taken its toll. In lieu of flowers, if desired, memorial contributions may be made to The American Cancer Society at: 2433 Ridgepoint Drive, Suite B, Austin, TX 78754. "[11], About the picture and its legacy, Lorrie Stirm Kitching once noted, "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 todaymany, many familiesand I think, I'm one of the lucky ones. events, and all four children are on good terms with both parents. Life is too short.". He followed in his fathers footsteps; he is a captain in the Air Force based in Panama City. Adding insult to injury, the divorce became a rather publicized affair, with Loretta getting custody of two of their kids, the family home and nearly 43 percent of Stirms retirement pay. discoveries. But for Stirm's older daughter, Lorrie Kitching, the photo captures a wonderful, pure moment in time. The war which could not be won was over. Starting on February 12 and continuing until March 29, 1973, almost 600 American POWs were released from North Vietnamese POW camps. 11-year-old son from her first marriage. The pair divorced within a year, with Lorrie and her brother Robert Jr. living with Stirm. Roger, 12 at the time, trails everyone, wearing a ski jacket. Such was the unfortunate case for Bob Stirn, a Vietnam veteran whose return from being a POW for over half a decade was captured in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo, Burst of Joy.. managed to make each other miserable. 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