Vietnam Veteran Advocate for Proper Burials Passed Away

Pat Toro, 64, a decorated former marine and fierce advocate for veterans loses his final battle
Toro, a Vietnam veteran, started program to give indigent veterans dignified burials. Toro's illness likely stemmed from exposure to Agent Orange during his time in Vietnam.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY LISA L. COLANGELO
Monday, July 7, 2014

Decorated Vietnam veteran Pat Toro has lost his final battle.

The former Marine and fierce veterans’ advocate died at St. Francis Hospital on Long Island on Thursday - less than a year after he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood disorder that can lead to leukemia.

Toro, 64, and his family believed his illness was a result of exposure to Agent Orange during the war.

“Pat did so much for Vietnam veterans and veterans in general in New York City,” said friend and fellow Vietnam veteran Michael O’Kane of Glendale. “I consider him my mentor. It was a privilege to know him.”

Toro, a Forest Hills resident who moved upstate in recent years, was the former president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32 in Queens.

During his tenure, he started a program to provide dignified burials for indigent veterans.
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