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Hundreds Attend Memorial Day At Fort Snelling

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Hundreds of people gathered at Fort Snelling National Cemetery to honor the tens of thousands of service members and their loved ones buried there.

Gov. Mark Dayton was among the speakers Monday. Minnesota Public Radio News reports the governor talked about attending the funeral services for Minnesotans killed in Afghanistan or Iraq.

He called it a powerful time to share with families that he has usually never met, but were suddenly bound together by the tragedy that had befallen a loved one.

The assembled crowd also heard from Artis Parker, Fort Snelling's acting cemetery director. He told the crowd to remember that freedom is not free and recognize the nobility of military service.

Nearly 200,000 service members and their loved ones are buried at the Fort Snelling cemetery.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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