Robert Keith Bacorn

Retired Master Gunnery Sergeant, USMC, Robert Keith Bacorn, 68, of Clemmons, NC, formerly of Stow, Ohio, passed away suddenly on June 27, 2024.

Robert was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He loved deer hunting, shooting and fishing. One of his favorite pass times was watching sports on TV, especially The Ohio State Buckeyes football team. He was an avid Cleveland Indians, Browns and Cavs fan. Having been a motorcycle drag racer "back in the day" he truly enjoyed watching drag racing, NASCAR, rodeos and old westerns.

But anyone who knew Robert knew that his greatest passion, besides his family, was the United States Marine Corps. Being a United States Marine encompassed his heart and his soul and defined the man he was and the life he lived. And sadly, it defined why he died.

At age 17, during the Vietnam War, Robert dropped out of high school, left his loveless foster home in West Virginia and became one of "Uncle Sam's Misguided Children". The Corps essentially became the family he so desperately wanted and needed. He became a "grunt" and served in Vietnam as an Infantry Unit Leader. During his deployment to Vietnam he was wounded and was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medals. Additionally during his service in the Marine Corps MGySgt Robert Bacorn would earn the following awards: The Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal (third award), National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (third award), Drill Instructor Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross (Unit Citation), the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Meritorious Mast USMC Certificate.

"Gunny" was a true patriot and served his country as a proud Marine for almost 12 years and retired with full NCO benefits after having to leave his duty secondary to PTSD, a price paid by so many combat veterans. During his time in the Marine Corps Robert earned his GED, a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's Degree in Counseling. He became a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, SC and proudly molded hundreds of young men into becoming part of "The Few, The Proud, The Marines." Robert eventually achieved the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant, the highest NCO rank in the Corps. He participated in the evacuation of Lebanon and was stationed at many duty stations including Japan, Alaska and Camp Lejeune. He spent his last few years in the Marines as a career counselor at Quantico, VA. In 2014 retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Robert Bacorn was honored to be the guest speaker at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball in Geneva, Switzerland.

After leaving the military Robert became a police officer in Northern VA where he was again wounded in the line of duty. He went on to become a Private Investigator and eventually became a Security Supervisor for the State Department. He also spent time as a counselor at a group home for sexually abused teenage girls. When he finally settled down into a "partial retirement" he started his own business, Western Reserve Tree Service, in Stow, Ohio. Robert loved running his own business and ran it like he did everything else in his life - with pride and honor.

Robert never met a stranger and could talk the horns off a Billy Goat. He was everyone's counselor and people gravitated toward him for his wisdom and advice, his insight and great sense of humor. He was also known to pull off a good prank every now and again. Robert was a gentle man with a kind soul who would give you the shirt of his back and never ask for anything in return. But he had a strong sense of right and wrong and staunchly defended what was right and fought things and people who were wrong or who hurt others, especially those who were weaker and could not defend themselves, like women, children and animals.

Sadly, because of his exposure to toxic chemicals in the water while stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC Robert developed kidney cancer many years later that eventually lead to him losing both of his kidneys. He spent the last 20 years of his life fighting the greatest enemy of all- CANCER. After the loss of his 2nd kidney in 2021 he was a man with NO kidneys and spent the last 2 1/2 years of his life on dialysis 3 days a week and dealing with the unspeakable physical and mental pain of being dependent on a machine to live. Everyday he faced the greatest battle of his life - that of trying to stay alive long enough to get a kidney transplant and a chance to live a longer, seemingly normal life. At the time of his sudden passing he was only 2 weeks away from being put on the national VA transplant list. Robert, like so many other Camp Lejeune Marines and their families, was a victim of the Navy, Marine Corps and Department of Defense's betrayal and subsequent cover up of the toxins in the water at Camp Lejeune for over 30 years. He and his Marine brothers deserved to live their lives with dignity, honor and respect. They and their families deserve justice, to be compensated for the pain and suffering, and yes for the wrongful deaths, of those who lost their battle to survive the effects of the atrocity bestowed upon them as they served their country all those years ago.

Robert was a Marine, a fighter, who never gave up. He needs to know that he did not die in vain and that his life and his service to his country truly mattered. We will continue to fight for the justice he and his fellow Marines and their families deserve.

Robert will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. He touched so many lives and made so many people feel safe and happy just by being in his presence. He was a great man, a man amongst men. Robert was a true American Hero and will forever live in our hearts.

He is survived by his wife, Victoria (Vicky) Erdman Bacorn (Hensley); son Hunter Bacorn, Bailey (Howell) of Clemmons, NC; step sons Dustin Erdman (Jill) of Louisville, OH and Taylor Erdman, of Stow, OH; step daughter, Ashley Steuer (Jacob) of North

Canton, OH and his "4th son" and Marine protégé, Staff Sergeant Theodore Macejko, IV, USMC, of Maysville, NC; "Gunny" also leaves behind 7 adorable grandchildren:

Blakely, Knox, Will, Liza, Luci, Diam and Taytum; Surviving brothers include Bradford Bacorn (Sophia) of Harrisvile, WV and David Bacorn of Fairmont, WV; as wellas many nieces and nephews; His canine son, Gunner Lee Bacon, was his constant companion

and best friend and proudly headed up the crew of home destruction with the help of his 5 feline co-conspirators.

A memorial service will be held on August 3, 2024 at Calvary Baptist Church West Campus in Advance, NC at 10:00 AM.

A military burial service will be held at a later date at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio with a Celebration of Life to follow. Please contact family members for details.

Once a Marine, Always a Marine.

Semper Fi, Gunny.