NewsWPLG Local 10 – Main FeedAugust 26, 2026Miami-Dade
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Sal Veder dies at age 99
Slava 'Sal' Veder, the Associated Press photographer famous for the 'Burst of Joy' image depicting a Vietnam prisoner of war's reunion with his family, passed away on August 22 at the age of 99.
Read the full story at WPLG Local 10 – Main FeedWhy It Matters
The death marks the passing of a significant figure in 20th-century photojournalism whose work documented a pivotal moment in American military history.
Key Facts
- Slava 'Sal' Veder died on August 22.
- Veder was 99 years old at the time of his death.
- Veder was a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.
- Veder is best known for the 'Burst of Joy' photograph.
- The 'Burst of Joy' photograph captured a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel reuniting with his family after five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
Who's Mentioned
personGeorge Moscone“San Francisco Mayor assassinated in 1978”personPatty Hearst“Subject of a bank robbery trial covered by Veder”organizationAssociated Press“Employer of Sal Veder”personHarvey Milk“San Francisco Supervisor assassinated in 1978”personRobert L. Stirm“U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and subject of the 'Burst of Joy' photo”personSal Veder“Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photographer”personRonald Reagan“Former California governor photographed by Veder”personDan White“Perpetrator of the 1978 assassinations”personSlava 'Sal' Veder“Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who died at age 99.”