On March 17, 1973, a moment unfolded on the tarmac of Travis Air Force Base that would become one of the most iconic images of the Vietnam War era. Captured by Associated Press photographer Slava "Sal" Veder, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph known as Burst of Joy depicts what appears to be the pinnacle of a joyous reunion. Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm, recently released from captivity as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, strides across the tarmac as his family rushes toward him, arms outstretched in an expression of pure relief and elation. His fifteen-year-old daughter, Lorrie, is the most animated figure in the shot, her exuberance embodying what many Americans longed to believe about the homecomings of returning POWs. But as is so often the case with war, and with history itself, the truth behind the moment was far more complicated than it appeared.

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