Nick Palmer laid to rest

Great Falls residents turned out in force for the funeral of a fallen 19-year-old Marine from Leadville, Colo., who has deep family ties to Montana.

Lance Cpl. Nicklas Palmer, fatally shot Dec. 16 in Fallujah, Iraq, was born in Great Falls. Saturday he was buried here a war hero.

Shots from a 21-gun salute made shoulders jump at Mount Olivet Cemetery. "Taps" was played by a soldier standing underneath a snow-covered pine tree.

Marines presented his family with a folded flag and the Purple Heart, awarded to soldiers wounded or killed in action.

Doves were released honoring Palmer and family members who had gone before him, as well as all servicemen and women.

"To Nick!" shouted a tearful Dustin Palmer, Nick's brother, as a dove flew from his hands.

Nick Palmer was buried in Great Falls because this is where his parents, Brad and Rachele, are from.

Her son is not a statistic, Rachele Palmer said.

"He was somebody," she said in an interview at the church reception. "He was somebody who was loved very dearly and deeply by his family."

Brad Palmer said a bullet struck his son in the neck 20 minutes into a patrol of a "hot area." At the time, Nick was manning a .50-caliber machine gun on the back of a Humvee.

"He was just a leader," Brad Palmer said. "He stepped forward when a lot of people wouldn't."

The proud parents said Nick was an avid outdoorsman and loved fishing, camping and "rock crawling" in the Jeep. The 2005 graduate of Lake County High School in Colorado played defensive end and offensive tackle in football. His father, an offensive line coach, coached him since the seventh grade.

He learned to play the guitar in just two months and, picking a Fender, performed "Folsum Prison Blues" for his father, a big Johnny Cash fan. Nick also loved country music.

"It was the first song he'd learned," Brad Palmer recalled.

When he was a junior, Nick came home from career day at school and told his mother he wanted to join the Marines. From that day on he set his mind to becoming a Marine, living in the weight room and taking long runs in high altitudes with a heavy pack on his back.

"My heart kind of sank because the war was full-going then," she said.

Hundreds lined the streets as the funeral procession passed by Saturday on its way to the cemetery. Many residents held flags, including a young girl wearing a stocking cap and mittens, and an elderly woman with her hair in curlers. Some saluted. Others placed their hand over their heart. Military men and women in uniform stood straight as vehicle after vehicle rolled past.

The showing of Great Falls residents didn't surprise June Sechena, standing with her flag-carrying son, Bob, near the intersection of 35th Street North and Central Avenue.

"I think they respect the military," said Sechena, leaning on a cane. "My gosh, I'm World War II vintage and we supported our people then, and we will until we die."

Brian Palmer, Nick's uncle, said a local hotel donated 35 rooms for family and friends from out of state who attended the funeral. Businesses chipped in by providing American flags for residents to display during the funeral procession.

"I do want to thank them from my heart for their support," Brian Palmer said.

About 28 of Nick's high school buddies and friends of the family made the trip from Colorado. A storm stranded them for three hours in Cheyenne, Wyo. They arrived in Great Falls at midnight the day of the funeral.

Members of the Montana chapter of the Patriot Guard, plus local Harley Davidson riders and active-duty military personnel, lined both sides of the driveway into the church. They were waiting for the arrival of Palmer's body and his family.

"In a word, respect," said John McCabe, the Patriot Guard state captain, on why they showed up.

A Kansas-based group that has protested military funerals across the country threatened to do the same in Great Falls but no protesters were seen at the church or cemetery. Police did not receive any reports of protesting.

During a service at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Nick was remembered as a dedicated soldier who was ready to do his duty. "Amazing Grace," performed by a man playing the bagpipes, and a recording of country-great Vince Gill's "Go Rest High on That Mountain," brought tears to the eyes of some.

Petty Officer Dustin Palmer described his sibling as a brave leader who "knew what he was doing when he got behind that gun."

Nick joined the Marines because he wanted to make a difference, Dustin Palmer said, adding he felt Nick did just that.

"We should all admire a great hero for the sacrifice he made," Dustin Palmer said.

The Rev. Jay Peterson, who baptized Nick Feb. 28, 1987, called him a peacemaker because his mission in Fallujah was to bring peace in the face of an armed insurgency. He quoted the well-known scripture "blessed are the peacemakers."

Master Sgt. Manuel Diaz, who served with Nick, assured the family that Palmer took joy in his job. He read a letter to the family from the company's commanding officer.

His official-looking exterior and voice cracked at the close of his comments when he stepped from the podium.

"Mission accomplished Marine!" said Diaz, in tears.

From the Great Falls Tribune

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