Normand Poirier

Normand Poirier (1928 – February 3, 1981) was an American journalist, essayist, and newspaper editor. His name is often spelled Norman Poirier.

Normand Poirier
BornNormand Poirier
1928
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Died(1981-02-03)February 3, 1981
New York City, New York, United States
OccupationEssayist, journalist, newspaper editor.
GenreNon-fiction
 Literature portal

Poirier is noted as one of the first journalists to report on war crimes on Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers during the Vietnam War.[1]

Early life

Normand Poirier was born to French-Canadian parents Raoul Rene Poirier and Therese LaPointe Poirier in Worcester, Massachusetts.[2] Poirier graduated from Cornell University,[1] where he played straight rail billiards.[3]

Literary career

Over the course of his lifetime, Poirier wrote for the Pottstown Mercury, the New York Post, Esquire, Newsday, Life, and The Saturday Evening Post.[1] Having joined the New York Post in 1959, Poirier was considered "a star" reporter of "razor-sharp intellect and acute powers of observation."[4] Poirier's sense of humor as a journalist also led him openly travel and tour Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 1955, while impersonating a Russian officer (the city was off-limits to Russian nationals at the time).[5]

In August 1969, three months before news of the My Lai Massacre broke, Poirier's article An American Atrocity was published by Esquire magazine. The story was one of the first journalistic accounts of a US war crime, detailing the gang-rape of a Vietnamese woman and the murder of 5 Vietnamese civilians by US Marines of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in the hamlet of Xuan Ngoc, near Chu Lai on the night of 23 September 1966.[1][6][7] Although the magazine sent proofs to major news outlets, it was not picked up by the mainstream media.[8][9]

Death and legacy

Poirier died on February 3, 1981, at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, New York.[1] Credited as one of the first journalists to uncover American soldiers' atrocities during the Vietnam War,[1] Poirier is also noted as the popularizer of and regular at The Lion's Head, an after-hours hangout among New York City writers (including many New Journalism writers).,[10][11][12][13] In Pete Hamill's eulogy to Poirier in the New York Times, he recognizes Poirier as an early influence.[12]

Non-fiction

Famous essays and articles

  • "An American Atrocity". New York: Esquire, 1969.,[6]
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References
  1. "Normand Poirier." New York Times. February 4, 1981
  2. "Jean Poirier, M.D.." Stauffer Funeral Homes Obituary.
  3. "1951:Sports." As they saw it.
  4. "Story stirs memories of a real pro." The Prescott Courier. March 1, 1981.
  5. "Reporter Poses Unhindered as Red in Off-Limit Town." The Free-Lance Star. January 25, 1955.
  6. Normand Poirier (August 1969). "An American Atrocity". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  7. Solis, Gary (1989). Marines And Military Law In Vietnam: Trial By Fire. History and Museums Division, Headquarters US Marine Corps. pp. 53–4. ISBN 9781494297602. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. Grace Sevy, American Experience in Vietnam (1991) p 130
  9. Nick Turse, Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American Experience in Vietnam (2013) Ch 7
  10. "Years After Last Call, Keeping a Bar’s History Alive." New York Times. April 4, 2011
  11. "Roar of the Lion's Head!." Dennis Duggan. February 22, 1981
  12. "Between the Deadlines and Booze, A Life Slips Away." Prescott Courier. February 22, 1981
  13. Hamill, Pete (2008). A Drinking Life: A Memoir. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316054539.
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