Robert Stirm, decorated war veteran, dies at 92

Medical care was minimal, if any was provided at all. Stirm suffered a variety of injuries, some of which never healed properly. They remained with him for the rest of his life. In captivity, his weight dropped to under 100 pounds. But he refused to buckle and would not cooperate. The late John McCain, who would become a U.S. senator, was in a cell not far from Stirm’s.

As the war continued, increasing numbers of American servicemen were captured by the North. Most of them were Air Force or Navy personnel. Stirm, along with other American prisoners of war, was released and repatriated in 1973. In all, 571 American POWs would be set free during that period. Still, U.S. authorities continued to seek more than 1,000 of their peers who were believed to be POWs or missing in action.

Stirm’s homecoming at Travis Air Force Base turned out to be bittersweet. When his Foster City family met him on the tarmac there, his wife had already filed for divorce. A photo of his arrival back in California became an award-winning moment in time during a period of intense unease and unrest in the United States.

Through the decades after his release from prison, Stirm, who retired from the Air Force in 1977 as a colonel, was adamant. He would not forgive his captors.

During an interview with him 15 years ago, he made it clear that his hatred for his brutal North Vietnamese guards and interrogators had not eased with the passage time. Neither had the lingering pain caused by their incessant torture sessions.

Stirm, matter-of-fact and blunt, refused to refer to himself as a hero. He didn’t cotton to the term. It wasn’t in his preferred lexicon.

He was the recipient of three Silver Star medals during his years of exemplary service. In part, one of those citations noted, “This American resisted their (North Vietnamese) demands by calling upon his deepest inner strength, this in a manner which reflected his devotion to duty and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”

Robert Stirm died just weeks shy of the nation’s 250th birthday.  

ROTARIANS ASSIST INDIAN GIRLS: This is a shoutout to the selfless Rotarians from the Burlingame-Hillsborough club who have been raising funds for the past four years in order to establish significant educational opportunities for girls living in an impoverished region of southern India. Bobba Venkatadri, who grew up poor in that same area and, over time, became a successful U.S. businessman, has been giving back. He’s been leading the local Rotary effort, with considerable assistance from Jerry Winges and Charlene Drummer. According to a supportive note from Rotary, their efforts have resulted in an estimated 2,000 underprivileged girls receiving important academic opportunities in four new schools. And the effort continues.

HILLSDALE REUNION ON DEC. 6: This is a reunion luncheon (the 29th) with a difference. Next month, as they do nearly every year, all graduates (no matter the class) and all former teachers from Hillsdale High School will gather to renew acquaintances and relive old memories from their younger days on that San Mateo campus. The date is Dec. 6, at the San Mateo Elks Lodge from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information interested parties who hail from Hillsdale can check out hillsdale.org.

ANTIFA? WE DON’T THINK SO: Spellcheck never ceases to boggle the mind and cause rampant head-scratching. Last week, a Facebook friend, a local fellow, posted a heartfelt item regarding his beloved late father, a military veteran, among other personal highlights. His relatively brief bio indicated that one of his important affiliations was, of all things, “Antifa.” Say what? Highly unlikely. Robot writing assistance, whether asked for or not, had apparently done it again.