Normand Poirier (1928February 3, 1981) was an American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, essayist, and newspaper editor. His name is often spelled Norman Poirier. Poirier is noted as one of the first journalists to report on war crimes on Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

."Normand Poirier."
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. February 4, 1981

Early life

Normand Poirier was born to

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

parents Raoul Rene Poirier and Therese LaPointe Poirier in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

. Poirier graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he played straight rail billiards.

Literary career

Over the course of his lifetime, Poirier wrote for the '' Pottstown Mercury'', the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'', ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'', and ''The

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

''. Having joined the ''

'' in 1959, Poirier was considered "a star" reporter of "razor-sharp intellect and acute powers of observation." Poirier's sense of humor as a journalist also led him openly travel and tour

Pottstown, Pennsylvania Pottstown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts (Pennsylvanian), John Potts. The old name was abando ...

in 1955, while impersonating a Russian officer (the city was off-limits to Russian nationals at the time). In August 1969, three months before news of the My Lai Massacre broke, Poirier's article ''An American Atrocity'' was published by ''

'' 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 Chu Lai is a seaport, urban and industrial area in Núi Thành District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: ''Khu Kinh Tế M� ...

on the night of 23 September 1966. Although the magazine sent proofs to major news outlets, it was not picked up by the mainstream media.

Death and legacy

Poirier died on February 3, 1981, at Beth Israel Medical Center in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York. Credited as one of the first journalists to uncover American soldiers' atrocities during the Vietnam War, Poirier is also noted as the popularizer of and regular at The Lion's Head, an after-hours hangout among

writers (including many

New Journalism New Journalism is a style of news writing and journalism, developed in the 1960s and 1970s, that uses literary techniques unconventional at the time. It is characterized by a subjective perspective, a literary style reminiscent of long-form no ...

writers).,"Roar of the Lion's Head!."
Dennis Duggan. February 22, 1981"Between the Deadlines and Booze, A Life Slips Away."
'' Prescott Courier''. February 22, 1981 In Pete Hamill's eulogy to Poirier in the

, he recognizes Poirier as an early influence.

Non-fiction

Famous essays and articles * "An American Atrocity". New York: ''

'', 1969.,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poirier, Normand 1928 births 1981 deaths American people of French-Canadian descent Cornell University alumni American male journalists 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers