ON A MISSION Keystone Oaks grad is taking his game to another level

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Some of Leo Palmer’s best friends from Keystone Oaks High School are preparing for their first college football season this fall. Joe Kazalas and Stephen Kazalas-Kelley are busy preparing for their freshman season at Westminster College. Palmer could have joined them. He was a first-team allCentury Conference tight end, a second-team all-conference defensive end and team captain for the Golden Eagles, who made the WPIAL Class AA playoffs last season. Duquesne, IUP and Westminster, among others, expressed interest in recruiting Palmer.

Palmer loves football, but he’s always had another goal in mind for his post-high school career.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to serve my country,” Palmer said. “I do believe there are some things bigger than football in this world.”

So on Aug. 22, about a week before the college football season will begin, Palmer will report to Paris Island, S.C., for basic training in the Marine Corps.

Palmer always had a deep appreciation for the military. Palmer’s father, William, served in the Air Force and his grandfather, Clete, served in the Army. Several uncles also served.

But it wasn’t until Palmer watched the news during his junior year that he became convinced that he would follow in their footsteps.

“Looking back, late in my junior year, is when I became aware of ISIS,” Palmer said. “That’s when they started getting a name for themselves. I remember reading about it and I was like ‘What is this?’ I remember seeing the beheadings. Nothing has ever hit me like that. That really set me off. I said, ‘All right, this hurts me. I have to do something.’”

Palmer looked into all branches of the military before