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Dayton Lowers Flags For Fallen Minnesota Soldier

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Gov. Mark Dayton has ordered that flags at state and federal buildings be lowered to half-staff Saturday to honor a Minnesota soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt of Rosemount died last Sunday when insurgents attacked his unit with a bomb in Kandahar province.

Dayton issued a proclamation on Friday recognizing Wilfahrt's service and declaring that he died a hero. It also remembers the 31-year-old soldier as a compassionate, cheery person and a gifted musician.

The Rosemount High School graduate enlisted in the Army in January 2009 and became a military police officer. He was deployed to Afghanistan in July 2009.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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