Channel: Weird History

Category: Entertainment

Tags: drunk historyfamous viet nam war photosjohn mccainbroken family'burst of joy' photographtoday i learnedpulitzer prixe winning photosmilitaryhanoi hiltonmarital problemsdivorcedweird historyhorrific treatmentptsdtensionrobert stirmloretta stirmwar photographsus historyrobert stirm burst of joy photoweird history photographypowsfamous photo's tragic storyviet nam warfamous imagessal vederoperation homecomingdeployed overseas

Description: 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. Yet the real story behind this photograph, titled "Burst of Joy," is far from the happy, joyful depiction Veder captured. The reality behind the photo was a very different story. #WarHistory #FamousPhotos #WeirdHistory