Note:
The Service Photo above depicts Col. Stirm on the day he was returned safe
to his family after years as a POW.
------------------------------------------
STIRM, ROEBRT LEWIS
Name: Robert Lewis Stirm
Rank/Branch: O4/United States Air Force, pilot
Unit: 333rd TFS
Date of Birth: 1932
Home City of Record: San Francisco CA
Date of Loss: 27 October 1967
Country of Loss: North Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 213400 North 1053300 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F105D
Other Personnel in Incident: none
Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS: 730314 RELEASED BY DRV
SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor
P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and
spelling errors).
UPDATE - 09/95 by the P.O.W. NETWORK, Skidmore, MO
ROBERT LEWIS STIRM
Lieutenant Colonel - United States Air Force
Shot Down: October 27, 1967
Released: March 14, 1973
I was born 41 years ago in San Francisco, California. I attended San Mateo
Park School, San Mateo High School, and San Mateo Junior College,
California. I then went to the University of Colorado where I studied
Mechanical Engineering. I entered Aviation Cadets in the summer of 1953. My
operational assignments were:
In addition, I flew the F-86D in training and spent three years on a
Tactical Evaluation team as an F-106 pilot. I also have a bit of T-39, T-33
and B-25 time. My total flying time is 3700 hours. I went to SQ Officer
School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Instrument Pilot Instructor School, and took a
course in Interceptor Weapons School. I have been flight Commander for
several squadrons, Training Evaluation Officer, and was the Training and
Project Officer. I flew on the winning NATO-AI RCENT Fighter Competition
team and was high scoring pilot on the 32 FIS winning "William Tell-1965"
team.
On 6 February 1955 I was married and I have four children, Lorrie Alynne,
Robert L. Jr., Roger David and Cynthia Leigh. They all reside in Foster
City, California. I am a member of the Episcopal Church, I like photography,
woodworking, skiing, swimming and sailing. l am unsure of my future plans. I
will possibly stay in the Air Force and attend the Air War College, or I may
retire and work in the San Francisco Bay area.
I was shot down over Hanoi 27 October 1967 while leading a flight of F-105Ds
on Canal Des Rapides Bridge. They captured me immediately on landing and I
was displayed in Hanoi that night. I was detained in various cells of five
different POW camps and was in solitary confinement a total of 281 days.
They turned me over to US control on 14 March 1973.
During my imprisonment in North Vietnam, I had an outstanding opportunity to
take an introspective look at myself in the past and in the present, and
reaffirm my faith and confidence in Christianity, our government, and our
way of life. I reviewed as much of my past life as I could remember, which,
surprisingly enough, was more than I would otherwise believe, and evaluated
for myself my lifetime objectives and goals. I never once lost faith in our
government, our President, or my family. With the help of other POWs, I was
able to understand a little more of Christianity and its importance in my
life. God has truly blessed our Flag, our Nation and the American People.
Those many heartrending letters I've received proved to be an overwhelming
emotional experience and I am truly grateful to the patriotically spirited
citizens. I thank you all and may God bless you.
====================
Robert Stirm retired from the United States Air Force as a Colonel. He lives
in California.
1974-1977, F-4 Phantom
From Year 1974
To Year 1977
Personal Memories
Not Specified
Image
F-4 Phantom Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
From Wikipedia: The F-4 Phantom was designed as a fleet defense fighter for the U.S. Navy, and first entered service in 1960. By 1963, it had been adopted by the U.S. Air Force for the fighter-bomber role. When production ended in 1981, 5,195 Phantom IIs had been built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft.[7] Until the advent of the F-15 Eagle, the F-4 also held a record for the longest continuous production with a run of 24 years. Innovations in the F-4 included an advanced pulse-doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe.[8] Despite the imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg),[9] the F-4 had a top speed of Mach 2.23 and an initial climb of over 41,000 ft per minute (210 m/s).[10] Shortly after its introduction, the Phantom set 15 world records,[11] including an absolute speed record of 1,606.342 mph (2,585.086 km/h), and an absolute altitude record of 98,557 ft (30,040 m).[12] Although set in 1959?1962, five of the speed records were not broken until 1975 when the F-15 Eagle came into service.[11] The F-4 could carry up to 18,650 pounds (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and unguided, guided, and nuclear bombs.[13] Since the F-8 Crusader was to be used for close combat, the F-4 was designed, like other interceptors of the day, without an internal cannon;[14] In a dogfight, the RIO or WSO (commonly called "backseater" or "pitter") assisted in spotting opposing fighters, visually as well as on radar. It became the primary fighter-bomber of both the Navy and Air Force by the end of the Vietnam War. Due to its distinctive appearance and widespread service with United States military and its allies, the F-4 is one of the best-known icons of the Cold War. It served in the Vietnam War and Arab?Israeli conflicts, with American F-4 crews achieving 277 aerial victories in South East Asia and completing countless ground attack sorties.[15] The F-4 Phantom has the distinction of being the last United States fighter to attain ace status in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, the USAF had one pilot and two WSOs,[16] and the USN one pilot and one RIO,[17] become aces in air-to-air combat. It was also a capable tactical reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (suppression of enemy air defenses) platform, seeing action as late as 1991, during Operation Desert Storm.[4][5] The F-4 Phantom II was also the only aircraft used by both of the USA's flight demonstration teams.[18] The USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the USN Blue Angels (F-4J) both switched to the Phantom for the 1969 season; the Thunderbirds flew it for five seasons,[19] the Blue Angels for six.[20] The baseline performance of a Mach 2-class fighter with long range and a bomber-sized payload would be the template for the next generation of large and light/middle-weight fighters optimized for daylight air combat. The Phantom would be replaced by the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force. In the U.S. Navy, it would be replaced by the F-14 Tomcat and the F/A-18 Hornet which revived the concept of a dual-role attack fighter.[21]
