DECEMBER 21, 2021 — As many as a thousand gathered Dec. 18 at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery-Central in Radcliff and the Fort Knox Post Cemetery to honor the memories of veterans.
While people waited for the ceremony to start at the top of the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery-Central, boxes of hand-crafted balsam wreaths lined the sides of the road along the winding route. Among them those waiting were Randall and Laura Roller, eager to place a wreath at the grave of Ernest “Lil’ Ernie” Heinen.
Heinen had served in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas, in 1991 when he deployed and fought in the Gulf War. After getting out of the Army, Heinen went to work for J.B. Hunt.
The brother of Laura and another sister, Ernie died in February 2019.
“He was my best friend,” said Laura, fighting back tears. “My parents live in Vine Grove, so they come here a lot. We try to do anything we can to support the cemetery and veterans.”
“They called him Little E, named after Laura’s dad,” said Randall. “He was the light — that’s the easiest way to say it.”
Laura touched a line of coins sitting atop the headstone as Randall dried and polished a black wrought iron bench positioned at the end of Heinen’s row. A placard on the bench read, “LiL Ernie — His charming ways and smiling face Are a pleasure to recall He had a kindly word for each And died Loved by all”
The two then helped others in adorning headstones with wreaths.
“This is the understanding that everybody has,” said Randall. “Cars are parked all the way to the exit on Fort Knox to come out here — some people don’t know anybody buried here. The biggest thing for me, though, is to see the kids. There are a lot of young people here who are taking the time to do this.”
Deputy Commander of U.S. Army Human Resources Command Brig. Gen. Stacy Babcock spoke at the short, somber ceremony prior to placing of the wreaths.
“Wreaths are a symbol of everlasting life; no beginning, no end,” said Babcock. “So as you lay a wreath … please speak the veteran’s name aloud. In doing so you pay homage to their service and help keep their memories alive.”
The ceremony ended with a wreath laying tribute at the flagpole of each branch of service and the singing of Amazing Grace. Families, friends and an army of volunteers then spent about the next 30 minutes placing wreaths at each of more than 5,000 headstones that fanned out around the horseshoe-shaped landscape.
Two hours later, hundreds gathered at Fort Knox’s Post Cemetery to do the same. The Fort Knox ceremony included a military representative from each branch of service, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Defense’s newest member: U.S. Space Force.
The U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox commander, Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis, said Fort Knox joined more than 2,500 locations across America to honor veterans at Wreaths Across America events on Saturday.
“We are not here to decorate headstones,” said Davis. “Instead, we are here to remember the men and women who have served, and ensure we pay appropriate honor to the lives they lived.”
Those lives honored included Mark Kersting, a 20-year Air Force veteran who died Nov. 9 and was buried at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery-Central. Kersting worked at the Fort Knox Casualty Assistance Center.
The Fort Knox ceremony paid a special tribute to Kersting, with a family member laying a wreath in his honor. In attendance at the Post Cemetery was Lucy Eifler, who said Kersting had always been a great mentor to her, and a friend.
“Mark was someone who always went out of his way to ensure we all knew what we were doing,” said Eifler, who works at Fort Knox as a mortuary affairs coordinator. “He made sure we never failed mission.”
Eifler said Mark’s job was to ensure families of lost veterans were taken care of, a fact that she acknowledged has come to symbolize what’s most important about the wreath laying events each year.
“To me this ceremony is about the families, and carrying on Mark’s legacy; to take care of all the families of veterans,” said Eifler. “I miss him — every single day.”
Story by Eric Pilgrim
Fort Knox