As has been observed and commented upon often, those who fought in Vietnam, unlike their World War II counterparts, returned to civilian life with very little fanfare, which can happen when the enemy forgoes an unconditional (or any kind of) surrender. Yet there was a notable exception to this lack of enthusiasm: Operation Homecoming, the 1973 Paris Peace Accords-negotiated return of 591 prisoners-of-war that began on February 12 and ended about two months later. Whether it was because of so many men in uniform coming back to the U.S. in such a relatively short amount of time (unlike non-POW servicemen, whose return from 'Nam was spread out over several years), or because it was a more agreed-upon hellish experience that better fit the requirements of a pro-America morality tale (unlike, say, My Lai); the POWs' repatriation was a major media event, best exemplified by the above Pulitzer Prize-winning picture, titled Burst of Joy, snapped by Associated Press photographer Slava "Sal" Veder on March 17, 1973 at Travis Air Force Base in Salano County, California.
On the left is USAF Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Stirm, whose plane was shot down over Hanoi in 1967, upon which he was taken prisoner and not released until three days before this picture was taken. Running toward him with arms stretched is Stirm's 15-year-old daughter Lorrie. I haven't been able to track down ages of his other children but suffice to say I think they're all minors and were even more so minors when their father was shot down. That's son Bo Stirm (Robert L Stirm Jr) right behind Lorrie; daughter Cindy, wife Loretta (soon-to-be Stirm's ex as the absence failed to make her heart grow fonder), and lastly son Roger. Upon winning his Pulitzer, Veder made sure that everyone depicted received a copy of the photo.
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Speaking of dollar gains, it's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but is it worth a thousand $$$$$$$? We now go to that bastion of capitalism, PBS, for an answer to that question:
Watching that, I get the distinct impression Lorrie Stirm Kitching never had any attention of selling either the photo or her father's POW mementos. She just wanted to share with us some of that picture's thousand words.
I grew up under the shadow (and threat) of the Vietnam War. Those who went didn’t receive a warm welcome home.
ReplyDeleteIt was a difficult situation all around, Mitchell. Well, maybe not for the policymakers. To them it may have been just another day at the office.
DeleteI suppose I approve that his wife, for not much longer, did come to greet Stirm upon his return.
ReplyDeleteWhether personal quietly returned to their old lives or whether there would have being huge parades for them, wouldn't have made any difference in the long run. They weren't treated very well by the forces they worked for and nor the government, as I remember. Your PBS is a treasure. Support it.
I left out quite a bit of soap opera stuff because I thought it may be a bit distracting. If you don't mind, Andrew, I'll use my reply to your comment to get the soap out of my system. The day he was released from prison, Robert Stirm received a letter from his wife telling him the marriage was over. He later found out she had been unfaithful during his captivity. For those reasons, Stirm himself has a difficult time looking at the famous photo and will not hang it up at his house.
DeleteAnd, Andrew, I agree with you about PBS, itself priceless.
I remember that famous photo too. Such a powerful image. And thanks for that PBS video clip -- fascinating! I haven't seen that before.
ReplyDeleteDebra, if it had just been the photo, I'm not sure I would have done this post, since I originally wanted to do something St Patrick's Day-related. But then I found out about the Antique Roadshow appearance, and knew then I had to do it, shamrocks be damned!
DeleteI don't remember seeing this photo. I probably did years ago and just forgot it.
ReplyDeleteHow about the excitement over returning POWs in general, Mike? This photo merely epitomized that.
DeleteHello Kirk, I remember some signs or stickers that I had. One, when the yellow smiling faces were especially popular, had a frowning face and had the logo "POW's Never Have a Nice Day." The other said "Help Our POW's and MIA's." These had a more direct message than complicated political discussions or media outlets that I was a little young for anyway.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Jim, I can't say I'm familiar with yellow frown sticker. Of course, the black POW/MIA is still a fairly common sight today. That flag---designed while the war was still being fought--show a silhouette of a bowed head with high-walls-and-barbed wire in the background. When flown today it suggests some MIA's are still alive and being held under lock and key. Why in the world would the Vietnam government hang on to them? When I've asked this question to people convinced the prisoners are still alive, the answer is "so they can be bartered". Bartered for what, and when exactly is this bartering supposed to take place when it's now been decades? There's still some 1600 Americans unaccounted for, but unfortunately, I think they're more likely to be in graves than in camps.
Deletep.s. I forgot to comment that for the TV program actually to place a value on these items was inappropriate. Unless the woman specifically asked for one, and then it would be unseemly for her to ask. This assumes that there is no urgent need for money, for example to pay for an operation for Veteran Stirm. (Even at that, with the crazy prices paid for documented memorabilia, the evaluation seemed low.) The evaluator should have just talked about the historical importance of the items, and not gotten down to brass tacks.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Jim, when I first read of the Antiques Roadshow appearance, I was prepared to find it unseemly but then I watched it and it just didn't seem that way at all. Obviously, I can't read Lorrie Stirm's mind, and she may have been greedy as all get out, but from her demeanor I think it's equally, even more than equally, plausible that, knowing it's a famous picture anyway, one's that's she's been asked about quite a bit, she thought it would be nice to give the public some background on it. As for the appraiser, he seemed very respectful, even choking up at one point. I'm willing to give them all the benefit (and the shadow) of a doubt.
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