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JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - Cpl. Kevin L. Palmer is an administrative
specialist from Highland, California. He is a third generation
Marine experienced as a combat marksmanship coach and instructor,
with a knack for off-road sports.
Palmer is currently doing
his part to ensure all administrative matters with GCEITF are taken
care of so that the focus of Marines and sailors can be on the long
training cycle ahead. However, his abilities are not limited to that
field given his additional designations as a marksmanship instructor
and marksmanship coach.
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Sept. 29, 2014 - Cpl. Kevin L. Palmer is an administrative
specialist from Highland, California. He is a third generation
Marine experienced as a combat marksmanship coach and instructor,
with a knack for off-road sports. From October 2014 to July 2015,
the Ground Combat Element Integrated Task Force will conduct
individual and collective skills training in designated combat arms
occupational specialties in order to facilitate the standards based
assessment of the physical performance of Marines in a simulated
operating environment performing specific ground combat arms tasks.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paul S. Martinez)
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“At my old command, I was able to teach other Marines,
such as squad leaders, basic combat marksmanship coach
fundamentals,” Palmer said. “It wasn't just a valuable
training experience for me; I was giving more back to the
Marine Corps.”
At Marine Corps Security Force
Regiment in Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Virginia, Palmer
served as an administrative clerk. But, he also was trained
and on call for any security alerts that came up.
From that
unique experience, Palmer came to the GCEITF, where he deals
with much more than the standard administrative workload.
While most regular Marine Corps units may see a few
Marines checking in at the same time, the Task Force has
seen large groups of Marines checking in day after day as
the GCEITF grows by leaps and bounds.
Now, he
attributes his perspective on the mission of the task force
to a saying introduced to him by an old company gunnery
sergeant.
“Adversity introduces a man to himself,”
Palmer said. “Those are words that I live by. Significant
adversity in anyone's life opens their eyes to bigger and
brighter issues.”
A firm believer in baptism by fire,
Palmer believes in learning for himself, and reaping the
rewards that accompany perseverance. The GCEITF is no
exception to making this method of thinking applicable.
“(The Corps) is an institution that allows Marines to
run as far as they want with a lot of tools,” Palmer said.
“It has given me tools and allowed me to be a better Marine,
a better husband, and a better contributing member of
society.”
A thirst for adventure was one of the
things that drove Palmer to the Marine Corps. He finally
made his decision to join following years of influence by
his grandfather, a reconnaissance Marine who served in the
Vietnam War, and his uncle, an infantryman that saw service
in Operation Desert Storm.
“I saw the Marine Corps as
a very effective institution,” Palmer said. “I wanted to
emulate how my grandpa and uncle held themselves.”
Palmer would eventually seize the opportunity to become one
of the few, but not before experiencing an early life that
was on the move.
“I did a lot of traveling at a young
age,” Palmer said. “In 2000, my family settled in Highland,
California. For us, it was new city with a lot of new places
and people.”
During his adolescence, Palmer found an
adrenaline rush through off-road biking in the vast, open
country of San Bernardino, California.
“I owned a
Suzuki racing model 250,” Palmer said. “With that, I used to
go to Twentynine Palms, Ocotillo Wells, any of the best
places in Southern California for off-roading.”
Palmer enjoyed his run throughout the region, even when he
sustained an injury.
“I was hitting kickers, which
are a series of small jumps, all while going a speed faster
than I should have,” Palmer said. “When I tried to jump the
last kicker, I ended up pushing down on my bike too late and
got the front tire caught in between a rift of kickers.”
Palmer met a punishing collision with the ground, one
that left him with a decade-old scar.
“I flew at
least 10 yards off of my bike, with my body twisting in the
air,” Palmer said. “The ground went right through my gear
and scarred me down to the bone.”
Relatively unfazed
by the incident, Palmer continued to take advantage of his
location and tried his hand at snowboarding in Big Bear,
California.
“Snowboarding out (in Big Bear) is always
a good time,” Palmer said. “Goggles are the real key part
there; when you're going down you can barely keep eyes open,
and I've seen boarders bail all of the time because they
couldn't see where they were going.”
He recalls a
memorable snowboarding session involving the use of a radar
gun.
“We used the radar gun on a slope called Miracle
Mile,” Palmer said. “It starts at the peak and goes to the
bottom where the lift to come back up is. When I went down,
I was clocked in at 63 miles per hour.”
The, was
Palmer's command prior to joining the GCEITF. His arrival
was the result of a hasty effort to re-enlist in the Marine
Corps. Having initially missed the deadline for
re-enlistment, it was his package in the Qualified Marine
Incentive program that allowed him to continue his duties.
“I loved the Marine Corps and didn't want to get out,”
Palmer said. “When I re-enlisted, I requested any command in
(Marine Corps Base) Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.”
Now, as the non-commissioned officer in charge of the
administration section of the GCEITF, he's doing his part to
ensure the command is ready for their arduous training cycle
... including individual and collective skills training
(October 2014 to July 2015) in designated combat arms
occupational specialties in order to facilitate the
standards based assessment of the physical performance of
Marines in a simulated operating environment performing
specific ground combat arms tasks.
By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Paul S. Martinez
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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