Memories shared of a Marine
Christine Ina Casillas
Vail, CO Colorado
December 21, 2006

LEADVILLE - A quiet, serious young man at home, Nick Palmer showed a different side with his friends, a side that included jokes and pranks, laughter and loyalty.

Wes Bond became Palmer's best friends around the third grade when Nick still displayed his quiet side.

"I didn't really like him at first," Bond said, with a slight laugh. "But after I got to know him, we ended up being best friends.

"He was shy when he was little," Bond added. "Everybody thought he didn't like to talk to people but he was just shy."

Palmer hung around a group of friends that included Bond and eventually the two discovered they had a lot in common, he said.

"I lived at his house more than my own," Wes said. "He was really funny. He told a lot of jokes and played a lot of pranks. He always had a good time, always smiling."

Bond recalled times in the locker room during football season when the boys would stick goo on the door handles or slick liquids on the floors.

"He would always catch you by surprise," Bond said. "But he was always around when you needed him."

When Palmer told his friends he was bound for the military, Bond told him that he didn't think it was the right time to go into the service.

"But that's what he was going to do so I supported him 100 percent," Bond said.

Palmer wasn't sure which branch of the military to join then but Bonds said he read his materials and researched his options and finally decided on the Marines.

"His heart was definitely in it," Bond said.

When Palmer landed in Iraq, Bond heard from him often.

"He called quite frequently and shared a lot of stories with us," Bond said. "He was always out there to get a laugh."

But the last week or so, Bond said the conversations shifted. He said Palmer was a little nervous and worried for his unit.

"He had been in a few hot spots and it was a little scary for him," Bonds said. "He felt like a target because there were shots flying by. He felt his unit was a target, that they were after him ... I guess he was right."

Sal Mercado worked with Palmer at the Lake County Maintenance Department for a summer and a half. The last summer was cut short when Palmer left for the Marines.

Palmer was a hard worker who would jump right in - sometimes literally, Mercado said. Their toughest chore involved clearing beaver dams out of the wetlands near Hayden Reservoir. Sometimes the beavers would haul in railroad ties. Moving the waterlogged ties was a chore, and both men would end up soaked.

Palmer never complained, Mercado said.

"He liked to work," Mercado said. "I hope people realize he went over there to do a job, too."

Ellie