Slava Veder, Photographer Behind Iconic 'Burst of Joy,' Dies at 99

Slava 'Sal' Veder, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer whose image 'Burst of Joy' became a defining symbol of the end of the Vietnam War, has died. He was 99.

Veder passed away in his sleep on August 22 at his home in El Dorado County, California, just eight days before his 100th birthday. His family confirmed the news on Wednesday.

In March 1973, at age 46, Veder was assigned to Travis Air Force Base to cover the arrival of returning American prisoners of war, including Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm. Amid a crowded press area, Veder spotted Stirm's four children sprinting toward their father.

"You could tell, even at a distance, what they were feeling," Veder recalled in a 2015 interview. "It was all over them, their faces, the way they all broke into a run."

Working from a makeshift darkroom in a women's bathroom, Veder produced six images, including 'Burst of Joy,' which earned him the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. The photograph, with Stirm's back to the camera, framed the raw emotion on his children's faces, making him a universal figure of the returning soldier.

For Stirm, however, the moment carried a private sorrow. He had received a 'Dear John' letter from his wife, Loretta, upon his release, and the couple divorced a year later. Stirm died in 2025.

Born in Berkeley, California, in 1926 to Russian immigrants, Veder began his career as a sports writer and editor before joining the Varta Wire as a staff photographer in 1961. He later moved to the San Francisco bureau, where he was based for his award-winning work.

Colleagues remembered Veder as a warm mentor who stressed the importance of pairing pictures with words. "He was the first Pulitzer Prize winner I ever met," said photographer Brad Mangin. "He was just the sweetest man."

Veder's career also covered Ronald Reagan's governorship, Vietnam War protests, the Patty Hearst trial, and the 1978 assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. He retired in 1993.