Mark was the middle child of five and the only son, raised in the rural town of Bartonville, Texas. A standout football player at Guyer High School in Denton, he graduated in 2007 as a highly recruited athlete. Following in his father’s footsteps, he attended the United States Air Force Academy and graduated in 2011 as a contracting officer.

When policy changes opened the special operations path to officers, Mark completed the Pararescue Indoctrination Course and endured intense training to become a combat rescue officer. He graduated in 2016 and was assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. He later deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. On
March 15, 2018, Mark was one of seven airmen killed in an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crash in Anbar Province, Iraq.

His legacy lives on through his family, friends, fellow airmen, and the event room in Building 400 at Moody Air Force Base, renamed in his honor.