In Memory of Lieutenant Colonel Bayard “Vic” Taylor
1939-2023
Vic enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1957; he served in California, Hawaii and the Far East.
In 1966, with the war in Vietnam escalating, Vic re-joined the Marine Corps for combat duty. He served as a rifle platoon and company commander with the 2nd Battalion, Fourth Marines
– “The Magnificent Bastards.” During 1967 and 1968, Vic was wounded twice and awarded the distinguished Silver Star, two Bronze Stars with Combat V, two Purple Hearts, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star.
He built Taylor Canyon Ranch near Clark, and established Vic Taylor-Outfitter, Inc. For the next ten years, the business provided big game hunts and wilderness horseback pack trips from Vic’s ranch and remote camps along the western slope of the Continental Divide.
Vic took it upon himself to be the benefactor of the marine Corps University Foundation’s “Lieutenant Colonel Vic Taylor Award,” symbolic of infantry leadership, it recognizes the outstanding graduate of each Infantry Officers Course at The Basic School (look to our Honors & Awards Section for more on this). For this contribution as well as other career achievements, Vic was honored in the U.S. Congressional Record of September 2005. In 1985, Vic retired from active duty and moved to Routt County, Colorado.
Vic is survived by his son, Scott Victor Taylor. The Foundation honors Vic, he will be extremely missed by all of us.
Visit www.2-4association.org/vic-taylor-passed for interment details in September 2023.