Charles & Teri Palmer

Special Recog

Charles and Teri Palmer are being inducted into the Manteca, Lathrop, and French Camp Hall of Fame for 2019 in the area of Special Recognition. The Palmers have an abiding, deep personal commitment to military and government service. Charles is a Vietnam War era veteran and they have both worked for over 10 years at Sharpe Army Depot in Lathrop. Both Charles and Teri are described as making a difference in the lives of our military troops, their families, veterans, and the entire Manteca community. They inspire others and reinforce Manteca’s reputation as a patriotic community. Charles Palmer moved to Manteca in 1979. He graduated high school and attended Sacramento City College in 1970. Charles was in the US Army active duty from 1972 to 1974 and four additional years inactive duty. He worked in various private sector positions, caregiving, teaching, and supervising. Teri Palmer grew up in a Military family in which she attended high school in Nebraska and Frankfurt Germany. Teri also attended two years of college in the University of Maryland in Munich Germany. She worked for Hospice, Real Estate and at Sharpe Army Depot. On May 5, 2007, the Palmers oldest son, Charles O. Palmer II age 36, was killed in action while serving in the Marine Corps, the only casualty in the Iraq War from Manteca. Life for the Palmers changed forever. At the time of Charles II death, the husband of Palmers’ daughter Jeni was in the military along with their youngest son Jason. Both Jeni and Jason suggested to Charles and Teri an idea they felt would help the family cope and heal, as well as convey support to active duty military stationed overseas. The family begun holding informal gatherings in their backyard with family and friends to pack personal care items to ship to Jeni’s husband and those deployed with him. From that grew an ever increasing interest and participation by others from all over which led to the formal organized troop pack events for Memorial Troop Support Program MTSP in 2015. Boxes are shipped throughout the world to meet MTSP’s mission “to raise awareness of the general public of the sacrifices and the dedication of troops of all branches of the United States Military by supporting active duty service members and their families, Veterans and their families, and families that have lost someone in combat.” The Palmers are long time members of the Place of Refuge Church in Manteca. Pastor Dave Bliss describes the Palmers as “inspiring” and admires how they have turned a deep personal loss into becoming incredible witnesses of life and examples of how to infuse life and of putting needs of others above self. Congratulations Charles and Teri on this special induction into the Manteca, Lathrop, French Camp Hall of Fame. Their impact and appreciation of others has been tremendous.