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Nous sommes des dégourdis,
Nous sommes des lascars
Des types pas ordinaires.
Nous avons souvent notre cafard,
Nous sommes des légionnaires.
From the Yale Alumni Mag 1974 Class Notes:
I have been honored and grateful for a stream of communication from —- ——— – one of our class Vietnam vets – about the passing of Vic Corcoran [SM] in Tahiti on March 23rd. It appears Vic eschewed the “grim professionalism” Kingman Brewster claimed to see in us and led a life that more belongs in a novel than in the class notes.
According to —–’s emails, Vic, who had previously turned down the opportunity to swim in the 1968 Olympics, carried his aquatic skills both to Vietnam and, in 1979, to the French Foreign Legion special forces as a “reconnaissance swimmer” where he specialized “offensive nautical intervention” for the balance of his career, including eight months of the Gulf War, ultimately receiving the Croix de Guerre which I understand is more or less the equivalent of our Silver Star.
Vic retired to Tahiti and ultimately passed from cancer. —– wonders if the cancer was connected to exposure to Agent Orange.
—————–
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:
After a life of activity and adventure, Victor (“Wick”) died March 22, 2023 of a brief illness at age 72.
Victor graduated from The Hotchkiss School, CT, where he was an All-American breast stroke swimmer; Yale University (swimming team); and The Ocean Corporation, TX for under water construction.
He served in the French Foreign Legion in parachute and then scuba regiments. Tours of duty included Corsica, Djibouti, the Central African Republic, and the Persian Gulf in Operation Desert Storm, including acting as liaison to the French General and US Gen Schwarzkopf. He retired as Master Sergeant, having received numerous decorations.
Before the Legion, Victor worked as a commercial diver, including on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea.
After the Legion, he served as a security officer on French cruise ships. He retired to Tahiti, where he enjoyed hiking, swimming, and sailing.
Victor had a wonderful sense of fun, made friends easily, and saw the good in people.
Predeceased by his parents, Victor Francis Corcoran and Merrill Holmes Corcoran. Survived by family in Nice, France: Son, Alan Victor Corcoran, Daughter, Alison Kate Corcoran, and Granddaughter, Cailey Kahila Mjot;
Also family in Rochester, NY: Brother, Christopher H. Corcoran (Mary), Sister, Melissa C. Hopkins (Ed), nieces, nephew, and cousins.
Victor was buried in Tahiti after a military funeral. The family plans a memorial service in Penn Yan, NY. Instead of flowers, gifts may be made to the YMCA of Greater Rochester, 444 East Main St., Rochester, NY 14604. Rochesterymca.org/donate.
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OneGuy
I am a Vietnam era vet but not a Vietnam vet. I have followed the Agent Orange story and the facts are that after extensive studies and investigation there are no illnesses that can legitimately be tied to Agent Orange. What happened is that after that all came out lobbying by vets and others pushed congress to “allow” the VA to treat Agent Orange as though it did cause various illnesses including cancer. We all die of something and it is easy to believe that some nefarious plot or dangerous chemical is responsible for your illness or a loved one’s illness especially if there is free care or court ordered payments. I sympathize with anyone who is ill but I would prefer truth over lawyerly doublespeak and misrepresentation.
Boligat
This is all great, but the most important piece of information of all is not mentioned:
What were the man’s pronouns?
Sarc off.
ruralcounsel
It makes me wonder whether we are growing men of comparable character and substance, or if our country has lost the capacity.
But I’m thankful to learn of the lives of the men of such caliber. It is inspiring. Thank you.
ruralcounsel
BTW, it is my understanding that it isn’t Agent Orange itself that is the problem, but the trace byproduct dioxins from the manufacturing of butyl esters of 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D (herbicides) that couldn’t be removed.
While about 13 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, that meant only about 375 pounds of dioxin.
It is very difficult to ascertain whether AO exposure was the cause of our veteran’s later health issues. Because OneGuy is right that many of those people would have developed similar problems even if they had not been exposed, just like the general population does then and now.
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