Memorial Day

Memorial Day 2019 is a time for remembering our fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country. I first met Brad and Chelle Palmer of Leadville, Colorado in 2017 after being introduced by a reporter from the news publication Leadville Today. Their friendship led to an invitation to sing and speak at the Leadville Memorial Day remembrance which carries on in memory of Lance Corporal Nick Palmer who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq in 2005. Hearing the Palmer's story inspired me to write about his life. I never met Nick, but knowing his family tells me everything about his character and how much he was loved. Jumping back a few years before I met the Palmers, I joined a unit in Germany who renamed our building "Brown Hall" after Specialist Lunsford Brown who was killed in Iraq. So many kind words were said about him. I recall being in advanced individual training (AIT) at Fort Huachuca, Arizona when the drill sergeants announced he had died. The year before he was training right where I was standing, and the feeling was none of us would be far from danger in this post 9/11 Army. Hearing that, then joining the unit he was in when he passed and hearing the events surrounding him and others who were injured was eye opening and a stark reminder that all of us must be ready at all times. Those families that are left behind bear the simple white flag with the Gold Star signifying their having paid the ultimate sacrifice for America.

https://www.leadvilletoday.com/2019/06/14/a-leadville-flag-day-honor-the-gold-star/