thedrifter
12-28-06, 08:24 AM
Marine loved a good laugh
Killed while fighting a war half a world away, 19-year-old Nick Palmer had boyish humor and a love for cookies but was devoted to serving his country, friends and family say.
By Steve Lipsher
Denver Post Staff Writer
DenverPost.com
Article Last Updated:12/27/2006 11:19:33 PM MST
Leadville - Childhood photos of Nick Palmer reveal a bright- eyed, grinning boy who took delight in his vampire costume at Halloween and showing off the cake decorated for his fifth birthday.
Palmer never outgrew that overgrown-kid mentality, friends and relatives recalled at his memorial service Wednesday, when he was mourned as a hero killed on the battlefield in Iraq.
"He never failed to have an Otis Spunkmeyer cookie or granola bar hidden somewhere on his body," said Palmer's commanding officer at Camp Pendleton, Marine Lt. Col. Wayne Sinclair. "At the most stressful times, he would pull out a cookie."
Palmer, a 19-year-old graduate of Lake County High School, was killed Dec. 16 by a sniper while he was on patrol in Fallujah. Hundreds of residents of his hometown packed the school's auditorium to remember the fallen Marine and the grinning youth of those photos.
"Bravery, among everything, is what Nick was," said his brother, Dustin, a sailor in the Navy. "The bravest thing Nick did was volunteer to get in the turret on top of a Humvee, knowing it would put him in a direct line of fire. ... Nick was fearless."
Dustin Palmer also recalled, though, the boy who would roll on the ground with a deep belly laugh at "the most childish joke in the world," which in turn cracked up everyone else around him.
Palmer enlisted in the Marines despite the likelihood that he would be sent to Iraq and the concerns of his parents, Rachele and Brad Palmer, but he was adamant about serving his country.
"Even at a time of conflict, at a time when the media raises its doubts and politicians take stances and others hold up signs in protest, Nick ... raised his hand and joined the Marine Corps," said friend Perry Carlile.
Although fond of wearing bright red mechanics gloves while on duty, Palmer was serious about his work, Sinclair said, and was among his company's most proficient at locating insurgents' weapons caches.
"Nick died as he lived, doing his duty," Sinclair said. "We, his Marine family, were so blessed to have him for a little while."
Palmer, an avid outdoorsman, distinguished himself on the football field as a two-way lineman under the high expectations of his father, a coach for the team and the director of public works for the county. He was known for his pranks, such as sticking goo on door handles, and for his love of country music.
As word of his death spread throughout the small mining community last week, neighbors and friends flocked to the family home to lend comfort, and local officials posted flags and yellow ribbons on every street lamp along Harrison Avenue, the town's main street.
On a gray, blustery afternoon, a Marine honor guard escorted Palmer's flag-draped casket from the Bailey funeral home, while patrons at a coffee shop next door stood outside to watch and pay respects.
At the school, the Rev. Jay Jung told some 700 mourners - most wearing yellow ribbons on their lapels - that their presence lends enormous comfort to the family.
"We gather as a sign of unity within our local community," he said. "While the rest of the country and the world continue in their daily activities this holiday season, we stop. We pause together to reflect, to pray, to sing and to cry."
Then, Palmer's parents were presented with his Purple Heart, and Marines in blue dress uniforms fired a 21-gun salute that echoed off the snowy peaks.
Palmer will receive a Mass of Christian burial on Saturday in Great Falls, Mont., and will be buried there in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
Ellie
Killed while fighting a war half a world away, 19-year-old Nick Palmer had boyish humor and a love for cookies but was devoted to serving his country, friends and family say.
By Steve Lipsher
Denver Post Staff Writer
DenverPost.com
Article Last Updated:12/27/2006 11:19:33 PM MST
Leadville - Childhood photos of Nick Palmer reveal a bright- eyed, grinning boy who took delight in his vampire costume at Halloween and showing off the cake decorated for his fifth birthday.
Palmer never outgrew that overgrown-kid mentality, friends and relatives recalled at his memorial service Wednesday, when he was mourned as a hero killed on the battlefield in Iraq.
"He never failed to have an Otis Spunkmeyer cookie or granola bar hidden somewhere on his body," said Palmer's commanding officer at Camp Pendleton, Marine Lt. Col. Wayne Sinclair. "At the most stressful times, he would pull out a cookie."
Palmer, a 19-year-old graduate of Lake County High School, was killed Dec. 16 by a sniper while he was on patrol in Fallujah. Hundreds of residents of his hometown packed the school's auditorium to remember the fallen Marine and the grinning youth of those photos.
"Bravery, among everything, is what Nick was," said his brother, Dustin, a sailor in the Navy. "The bravest thing Nick did was volunteer to get in the turret on top of a Humvee, knowing it would put him in a direct line of fire. ... Nick was fearless."
Dustin Palmer also recalled, though, the boy who would roll on the ground with a deep belly laugh at "the most childish joke in the world," which in turn cracked up everyone else around him.
Palmer enlisted in the Marines despite the likelihood that he would be sent to Iraq and the concerns of his parents, Rachele and Brad Palmer, but he was adamant about serving his country.
"Even at a time of conflict, at a time when the media raises its doubts and politicians take stances and others hold up signs in protest, Nick ... raised his hand and joined the Marine Corps," said friend Perry Carlile.
Although fond of wearing bright red mechanics gloves while on duty, Palmer was serious about his work, Sinclair said, and was among his company's most proficient at locating insurgents' weapons caches.
"Nick died as he lived, doing his duty," Sinclair said. "We, his Marine family, were so blessed to have him for a little while."
Palmer, an avid outdoorsman, distinguished himself on the football field as a two-way lineman under the high expectations of his father, a coach for the team and the director of public works for the county. He was known for his pranks, such as sticking goo on door handles, and for his love of country music.
As word of his death spread throughout the small mining community last week, neighbors and friends flocked to the family home to lend comfort, and local officials posted flags and yellow ribbons on every street lamp along Harrison Avenue, the town's main street.
On a gray, blustery afternoon, a Marine honor guard escorted Palmer's flag-draped casket from the Bailey funeral home, while patrons at a coffee shop next door stood outside to watch and pay respects.
At the school, the Rev. Jay Jung told some 700 mourners - most wearing yellow ribbons on their lapels - that their presence lends enormous comfort to the family.
"We gather as a sign of unity within our local community," he said. "While the rest of the country and the world continue in their daily activities this holiday season, we stop. We pause together to reflect, to pray, to sing and to cry."
Then, Palmer's parents were presented with his Purple Heart, and Marines in blue dress uniforms fired a 21-gun salute that echoed off the snowy peaks.
Palmer will receive a Mass of Christian burial on Saturday in Great Falls, Mont., and will be buried there in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
Ellie