WINONA, Minn. –Most fallen veterans would prefer to be buried close to home, Governor Tim Walz said at the dedication ceremony for new veterans memorial at Woodlawn Cemetery. Minnesotam the governio said, has the Fort Snelling National Cemetery but proximity to home has its own values: “To have a place of reflection, a place to learn about what happened here, and to know who’s in this cemetery and again the uniqueness of this having a revolutionary war participant in here, all the way up to our modern conflict, I just think it shows we’re not going to forget, we understand that sacrifice and we’re here to make that clear to everyone.” The ceremony included the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division Band and a salute from the Winona American Legion Post 9.
Governor at Woodlawn. Walz, in the necktie, is a retired National Guard member. When in Congress, he was the highest-ranking sercice member in Congress – a retired command sergeant major.
Verbatim
Walz: “I think when you spend time with your neighbors here, the differences kind of float away and the commonalities come together and I think these memorials have a very healing power to us. To understand those folks died – and the folks we’re talking about here – they died so that we would have the opportunity to debate passionately about our differences, but expect to honor our democracies.”
The eagle visits. Ashley Furniture’s patriot eagle makes the rounds of patriotic events. These included the dedication of the Woodlawn Cemetery veterans memorial in Winona. Image: Steve Lunde