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CBS News
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Daughter in iconic Vietnam War photo "Burst of Joy" reflects: "It's still very fresh in my heart"
Daughter in "Burst of Joy" Vietnam War photo reflects on iconic moment frozen in time Daughter in "Burst of Joy" Vietnam War photo reflects on iconic moment frozen in time Daughter in "Burst of Joy" Vietnam War photo reflects on iconic moment frozen in time The iconic photo taken at Travis Air Force Base in 1973 of a family running towards their father, Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Stirm, after he was freed from being a prisoner of war in Vietnam is known as "Burst of Joy." Stirm's then-15-year-old daughter Lorrie, seen with her arms outstretched in the photo, still lives within driving distance of Travis AFB five decades later. With the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon approaching this week, CBS News Sacramento talked to Lorrie to reflect on that moment frozen in time during the Vietnam War. "Burst of Joy" AP Images/Slava Veder "It is just a glorious moment of time of my dad coming home to his family," Lorrie Kitching said. Her first words to her father in that famous moment? "Nothing profound," Lorrie said. "Just, 'Oh daddy, oh daddy." Now married with children of her own, Lorrie's father remains her hero. She saved the letters he wrote from the prison camp, which feature heartbreaking and heartwarming messages – always with perfect penmanship. "I'm so proud of my teenage girl," Lorrie read from one of the letters. Kitching also has Stirm's prison uniform carefully packed in the suitcase issued him upon his release. "They were released in order of their shoot-down date," Lorrie said. "The Vietnamese told him that these sandals were made out of the tires of the aircraft that he was flying." Lorrie reading one of the letters written by Stirm. One of his prison mates was John McCain, who was shot down a day before Stirm. The two pilots shared a wall in solitary confinement and communicated in a tapping code. "And so John McCain was tapping a joke to my dad, through the wall … and my dad said that's the first time he laughed when he was in jail," Lorrie said. Kitching's father never did tell her the joke. This milestone anniversary of the Fall of Saigon is a time for reflection for Kitching. "It's still very fresh in my heart, in mind, in my life," Lorrie said. It was a war that created a deep divide in a country – a country her father served to protect. "There were a lot of people who were just against the United States being involved at all," Lorrie said. Kitching says reflecting on that time has helped her to seek understanding. "I hope that I'm more empathetic," Lorrie said. "Burst of Joy" was taken by AP photographer Slava Veder and won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
CBS News
28-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
UC Davis psychologist shares how she and her family escaped the Fall of Saigon
50 years after the Fall of Saigon: UC Davis psychologist shares her story 50 years after the Fall of Saigon: UC Davis psychologist shares her story 50 years after the Fall of Saigon: UC Davis psychologist shares her story DAVIS - This week will mark 50 years since the Fall of Saigon. The end of the Vietnam War resulted in hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving in the U.S. seeking a better life. Dr. Carolee Tran, a trained psychologist who lives in Davis, was among that group. Tran was eight years old during the Fall of Saigon, the day the North Vietnamese army took over the city - forcing the U.S. to abandon its embassy, evacuating personnel and thousands of South Vietnamese. "These were the most precious pictures in the bag she carried," Tran said as she showed CBS News Sacramento the images. Her maternal grandfather, who worked for the American embassy, knew of the imminent danger. "He had my family and my grandparents, aunts and uncle go to Phu Guoc Island so that we would be close to the ocean so that could get out more easily," Tran said. Carolee's father, a South Vietnamese army major, stayed behind. For the next three weeks, they waited on the island. On the morning of April 30, 1975, they spotted a white Naval ship. "My grandfather knew that that was an American ship that was picking up refugees. So we started like 8 a.m. in the morning trying to get out. And for several hours, none of the fishermen would take us out," Tran said. Desperate measures then called for desperate actions. "Finally, my mom had this huge sack of money, and she was on her knees begging the different fishermen and told them, 'If you take us out, you can have all this money,'" Tran said. They soon boarded a fisherman's boat and when they saw the ship, Carolee managed to get on a barge. "Once I got onto the boat and stood on the scow, my mom told me to jump, jump onto the scows. And there were just people being trampled," Tran said. Carolee reluctantly made the jump and got separated. "And at that point, I was being thrown around like a rag doll and I was suffocating," Tran said. A stranger then grabbed her hand and she boarded the ship. Carolee felt alone. "I stood at the edge of the ship and I could see my sister down below with my grandparents," Tran said. "Then I heard the loudest orchestra of humans, human suffering, people wailing and crying and yelling." Carolee would eventually find her family on the ship, but the fear and misery never faded. "My baby sister, who was 18 months at the time, we had no milk for her. So three days into the journey, we could tell that she was fading and she was dying," Tran said. Her mother again taking matters into her own hands. "My mom went around the ship and begged people to give her baby some milk or else she would die. And luckily, a mother of like four children shared the little milk that she had," Tran said. The Naval ship finally made it to Guam. There, Carolee, her family, and thousands of refugees found shelter at a makeshift camp known as Tent City. At one point while at the camp, a young family member told Carolee that her father was there. "I thought he was joking, so I was so mad at him. I chased him down and hit him. And so then I look and I see that my dad was indeed there walking towards the tent with my mom," Tran said. Carolee and her family then headed for Camp Pendleton in San Diego - and would make a new life in Northern California. Carolee would excel in school and become the first Vietnamese woman to earn a PhD in clinical psychology in the U.S. She also wrote a book called "The Gifts of Adversity," describing her harrowing escape from Vietnam. Today, the married mother of two counts her blessings and knows the sacrifices made by refugees coming to America. "We need to shine a light on the beauty of our country as a mosaic of all different people coming together. That's what makes our country beautiful." Dr. Tran specializes in treating war and refugee trauma. She's an associate professor of psychology at UC Davis.
CBS News
26-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Sacramento affected by large Comcast/Xfinity internet outage across the city
SACRAMENTO – A massive internet outage has affected thousands of Sacramento residents and a number of businesses on Saturday. Comcast customers first started reporting internet problems around noon. According to the outage page on the Comcast website, the estimated time of restoration was originally around 5 p.m. Now, Comcast is estimating that service won't be restored until around 10 p.m. Saturday. The outage appears to be affecting people all over the city. Sacramento businesses like Beers Books have also posted their frustrations, since they were in the middle of their Independent Book Store Day event when the outage took down their point-of-sale software. "Words can't express how frustrating and deleterious this is for an independent bookstore like ours. We've invested many hours and dollars into bringing Sacramento quality and affordable books, and these weekend sales often make or break our ability to make ends meet," Beers Books wrote in an Instagram post. The Comcast outage page lists the outage as being due to network damage, but no further details were given. CBS News Sacramento has reached out to Comcast for a statement.
CBS News
17-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Sacramento Kings to hire Scott Perry as new general manager, sources say
SACRAMENTO – It didn't take long for the Sacramento Kings to find a new general manager. Just hours after losing the NBA Play-In game, prompting the departure of GM Monte McNair, league sources have confirmed to CBS News Sacramento that the Kings have hired Scott Perry. Perry is a longtime executive in the NBA who even had a previous stop in Sacramento back in 2017. McNair had been the Kings' general manager for five seasons – a tenure that saw Sacramento snap a 16-year playoff drought. Kings owner and chairman Vivek Ranadive confirmed Thursday that the Kings and McNair had parted ways. In his own statement posted Thursday, McNair thanked the Kings and Kins fans. "The Beam Team brought so much joy to so many. Thank you to the players, coaches, and staff who played such a vital role in creating those special moments and memories," McNair wrote. Perry was previously with the New York Knicks organization and had also served as an executive with the Detroit Pistons.
CBS News
04-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he'll "fight back" against Trump tariffs, seek exemptions from trade partners
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a message directed at world leaders on Friday in an attempt to blunt the retaliatory tariffs expected after the Trump administration's " Liberation Day " plans. In videos posted to his social media accounts, Newsom directly addressed global partners saying that "California is here and ready to talk." The governor's post linked to a Fox News story detailing how Newsom's administration will be working to try and exempt California's exports from the expected retaliatory tariffs. "We will not sit idly by during Trump's tariff war," Newsom stated. "We're not scared to use our market power to fight back against the largest tax hike of our lifetime." On Wednesday , President Trump announced a minimum 10% tariff baseline for goods imported from all countries to the U.S. Higher "reciprocal" tariffs will also be imposed on countries that impose tariffs on U.S. exports, according to the Trump administration's plans. The tariffs come even as economists warn that it will lead to increased prices. "I've directed my administration to look at new opportunities to expand trade and to remind our trading partners around the globe that California remains a stable partner," Newsom said in the video. CBS News Sacramento has reached out to the Trump administration for a response to Newsom's message. Trump administration officials have said the 10% worldwide tariffs will be taking effect April 5 at 12:01 a.m.
