Burst of Joy

March 17, 1973 - Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm stepped onto the tarmac at Travis Air Force Base in California and was reunited with his family after five years as a prisoner of war. Associated Press photographer, Slava "Sal" Veder snapped a photo that would become an iconic symbol of America's healing in the wake of the Vietnam War.

In the image Stirm's 15-year-old daughter runs to her father with open arms as her mother and siblings follow close behind.

The photograph would win a Pulitzer Prize.

Ironically, Stirm says he can't bear to look at the picture. Three days before the photo was taken and on the same day he was released from captivity, Stirm received a letter from his wife letting him know that she was leaving him. They divorced in 1974.