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Face of Defense: Sailor Keeps Small-Town Values While Serving

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Tahlequah, Oklahoma, is home to Northeastern State University, former NFL and college football coach Butch Davis, and Cherokee Native Americans. It is also home to Navy Fireman Ian Palmer.

Navy Fireman Ian Palmer, assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4, poses on top of an air-cushion landing craft aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, March 28, 2017. Mesa Verde is deployed with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brent Pyfrom
Navy Fireman Ian Palmer, assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4, poses on top of an air-cushion landing craft aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, March 28, 2017. Mesa Verde is deployed with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brent Pyfrom
Navy Fireman Ian Palmer, assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4, poses on top of an air-cushion landing craft aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, March 28, 2017. Mesa Verde is deployed with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brent Pyfrom
170328-N-FM530-205
Navy Fireman Ian Palmer, assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4, poses on top of an air-cushion landing craft aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, March 28, 2017. Mesa Verde is deployed with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brent Pyfrom
Photo By: Navy
VIRIN: 170328-N-FM530-205

Palmer is a gas turbine electrical systems technician assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 based out of Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Norfolk, Virginia. ACU 4 is an expeditionary unit that provides combat-ready air-cushion landing craft to transport personnel, equipment, vehicles and supplies between amphibious ships and the shore.

ACU 4 is deployed with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group supporting maritime security operations, providing crisis response capability and increase theater security cooperation while providing a forward naval presence in the U.S Navy's 6th Fleet area of operations.

Applying Lessons From Growing Up

Palmer said he joined the Navy in May 2015 to provide a better life for his wife and two daughters and to have the means to send his children to college. He carries the responsibilities of taking care of his family, as well as and remembering the things he learned while growing up in Tahlequah, and he’s applying them in the Navy.

“I learned that respect is earned and not given, and good manners and kindness should always be used no matter the situation,” Palmer said. “I'm proud of the people in my hometown. They’re never afraid of hard work or to get their hands dirty. They always tell you what’s on their minds -- they are very blunt. But at the same time, they seldom ever cross the line of being rude or mean. They are, all around, just good people.”

Palmer grew up around the Grandview area and graduated from Tahlequah High School in 2009. After high school he drove trucks out of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Though he is far from his favorite hometown areas such as Lake Tenkiller and the Illinois River, he said, is content with repairing and maintaining almost all electrical equipment on ACU 4’s landing craft as they support the Navy’s amphibious missions around the world.

“I would like my city to be proud of the fact that in this large world and Navy, I'm proud to be an ‘Okie,’ and it’s all thanks to everyone back home,” he said. “Because of them, I’ve turned out to be a strong man, a good man, a loving husband and father of two beautiful girls.”

This is Palmer’s first deployment, and it’s the special town of Tahlequah and its people that keep him motivated.

“I hope I'm making everyone back home proud,” he said. “My mom, my dad, siblings, countless close friends and people of Tahlequah have stayed on my mind. I think about all of you all the time, and I'll come back home when my watch has ended and my boots are no longer needed.”

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