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MORNING STAR
✳ MAY 11 - 17, 2006
Area mourns the loss of a ‘true hero’ Continued from page 1
thing else,” he said. But that work paid off, Bleile added: “I remember when he scored the game-winning goal against IR, and we finished the game 2-1. He loved every second of it, and we all loved it because of him. It couldn’t have happened to a better person at the time. We had a saying, that good things happen to good people, and that was a good thing that happened to him.” Bleile said that Palmer was changed after he went through his basic training. “There was a major difference in him after he was in the Marines,” he said. “The mil-
Seaford flags at half-mast Seaford Mayor Edward H. Butler Jr. has announced that flags at all city of Seaford facilities will be lowered to half mast in memory of the death of Cpl. Cory L. Palmer of Seaford. Cpl. Palmer was serving his country in Iraq in 2nd Recon Battalion, A Company 1st Platoon when he was mortally wounded. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time. It is a small token of our gratitude for Cory’s service to our Country that we lower our flags in his remembrance, and we encourage all local entities to do the same,” said Butler. It is with the governor’s blessing that the state flag be lowered. The White House has advised that the U.S. flag also be lowered in conjunction with the governor’s decision. Flags will remain at half mast until following the services, which have yet to be announced.
itary made him a man. You could tell that. If he had gotten out of the service, there is no doubt that he would have done something very meaningful with the rest of his life. “ “He was a great kid, and the Marines gave him the mechanism to become that wonderful man that he became,” added Willin. Tim Lee, a Seaford High School teacher and soccer coach, remembers Palmer as a free spirit. Lee said that he spent time talking with Palmer this past November during the annual alumni soccer game. “I was impressed with his maturity,” he said. “I guess that came from being older and serving in a war zone. He had turned into a man. There is no doubt that he was proud of what he was doing. “He was very much into the military mindset and he knew that this was the right thing for him to be doing. He had found his niche in life. It’s sad that it has to come to an end like this,” he added. Lee remembers Palmer as a unique student. “When he was in school, he was a handful, but a likable handful. There was something about him that made you like him. During his senior year, he matured somewhat and ended up playing on the varsity team. “My memory of Cory as a high school senior was that of a prankster,” the coach said. “It was great to see how he had turned out. He was one of our success stories.” The news of a loss of a young person is becoming too frequent in Lee’s life. Over the past three to four years, five young
people from Seaford whom he has coached have passed away — three in accidents and two in the military. “If this is a reflection on the U.S. how many young people die, it’s very sad. Events like this bring it home to all of us,” Lee said.
In addition to his parents, Palmer is survived by two brothers, Thad and Kyle, both of Seaford, his paternal grandparents, Byron and Phyllis Palmer, and his maternal grandmother, Kristina Swain. As of press time, information about his funeral service was unavailable.
Two Seaford youth have died in Iraq By Lynn R. Parks Cory Palmer, who died Friday from injuries he received in an explosion in Iraq, was the second Seaford High School graduate to be killed in the war. Army Spc. Ryan Long, 21, a 1999 graduate of Seaford High School, was killed near Baghdad April 3, 2003, in a suicide bombing. Both men were killed just days before their 22nd birthdays. Long was the son of Rudy and Donna Long. Like Palmer, Long played on the Seaford soccer team; when Long was a senior, Palmer was a freshman. Long also played on the school’s golf team. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Army’s Rangers, an elite lightinfantry unit charged with carrying out special missions. He was serving with the 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment, based in Fort Benning, Ga., According to reports released after Long’s death, he was killed at a checkpoint northwest of Baghdad. A woman, who appeared to be pregnant, jumped out of a stopped car and was screaming. When
the soldiers approached the car, it exploded. Two soldiers in addition to Long were killed and two were injured. Also killed were the woman and the driver of the car. The Long family moved to Seaford in 1989. Rudy Long was a career Army officer and retired after 23 years as a major with the Army Reserves. He said after his son’s death that Ryan always wanted to join the military, following in the footsteps not only of his father but of his grandfather and great-grandfather as well. At Seaford High, Ryan Long was a member of the Junior Naval ROTC program. He joined the Army on Sept. 7, 1999, just four months after graduating from high school. He underwent his training, including the Ranger course and paratrooper training, at Fort Benning. Before going to Iraq, he served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Services for Long were held April 12, 2003, in Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Seaford. He was buried April 16 in Gockel Cemetery at St. Mary Help of Christians Roman Catholic Church, Glen Haven, Wis.
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