FORT KNOX, Ky. — The family of Mark Kersting agrees with members of the Fort Knox Casualty Assistance Center that he was an amazing, thoughtful man with a heart of gold.
Kersting, a casualty operations coordinator at the Center, died Nov. 9, 2021. His legacy was felt by friends and family alike at Graham Hall Feb. 11, when his widow, Peggy, unveiled a lasting example of his legacy —a wing of the Center named after Kersting.
The sign testified to who he was: “Mark had a passion for taking care of Veterans and the Families of the Fallen. He was an amazing person with a huge heart.”
“This is incredibly sweet,” said Peggy. “I’m honored, and I’m just extremely proud of him. He was so humble that he would say he was just doing his job every day. This is a real honor. It makes me happy to know he won’t be forgotten.”
Besides the naming ceremony, Peggy was presented with a posthumous award for Kersting: the Civilian Service Achievement Medal.
“… to Mark Kersting, for exceptional performance and demonstrated excellence, which resulted in the selection of the United States Army Garrison Fort Knox Team of the Year for 2021,” read the award citation. “Mr. Kersting’s outstanding achievements and contributions to the organization exceeded expectations ….”
Peggy said she was not surprised by the outpouring of love and honor for Kersting by so many people.
“People have often said he was the nicest man of any they have ever known,” said Peggy. “The meaner they were to him, the nicer he was to them.
“I asked him one time, ‘How can you be so nice all the time to everybody, whether they deserve it or not?’ He thought about it for about a second and he said, ‘Well, because others aren’t.’ He was just the greatest guy; he could never turn his back on anybody in distress.”
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