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Wounded Veteran To Get $10K Grant From Minn. Fund

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Purple Heart recipient from Prior Lake will get the 15,000th grant awarded by the Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund.

The nonprofit on Friday will honor Spc. Kristopher Francisco with a grant for $10,000 for his service and sacrifices.

The 2005 graduate of Apple Valley High School was wounded in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2010. His unit came under heavy fire and it took several hours to evacuate them. He endured more than a dozen surgeries for a serious leg injury that happened when heavy equipment landed on him. He still suffers from a traumatic brain injury.

Francisco recently retired from the Army.

The Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund has awarded $9 million in "thank you" grants to military personnel and their families since 2005, ranging from $500 to $10,000.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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