Fort Snelling National Cemetery

Fort Snelling National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota. It encompasses convert|436.3|acre|km2, and as of April 24th 2007 had 172,001 interments.

History

Fort Snelling was a frontier fort first established in 1805. Its original purpose was to keep the peace on the western frontier. During the American Civil War it served as a recruitment area for Minnesota volunteers. The cemetery itself was not officially established until 1870.

In 1937, the citizens of St. Paul, petitioned Congress to construct a National Cemetery in the area, and in 1939 the new plot was dedicated, and the remains from the original post cemetery were transferred to it. In 1960, the Fort Snelling Air Force Station transferred convert|146|acre|km2 to the cemetery, and another convert|177|acre|km2 were acquired in 1961, expanding the cemetery to its current size.

Fort Snelling National Cemetery as shown in the pictures below is very large. In each image headstones from generation after generation are as far as the eye can see. Taken in June 2007 from the hill on the far north side of the cemetery with no one view reaching the opposite end or either side.

Notable interments

*Thomas Edward Burnett, Jr, United Airlines Flight 93 passenger.
*Bob Casey, baseball announcer.
*Captain Richard E. Fleming, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II. (Memorial grave site only, buried on Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean.)
*Frank Eugene Hook, US Congressman, World War I veteran.
*George W. and Bernice M. Janos, parents of former Minnesota Governor, Jesse Ventura.
*Private First Class Richard E. Kraus, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
*Private First Class James D. LaBelle, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
*Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, known as "Father of modern day Open-Heart Surgery."
*Ernest Lundeen, US Congressman.
*Captain George H. Mallon, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War I.
*John Mariucci, hockey coach, member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
*Machinist Mate First Class Oscar F. Nelson, Medal of Honor recipient for peace time service aboard USS "Bennington".
*Captain Arlo Olson, Medal of Honor recipient for action during World War II.
*Staff Sergeant Robert J. Pruden, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Vietnam War.
*Bruce P. Smith, 1941 football player, Heisman Trophy winner.
*First Lieutenant Richard Keith Sorenson, Medal of Honor recipient for action during World War II.
* CMSgt. Lawrence J. Hasslinger Retired 32 Yrs. USAF - SAC - Vietnam War
*SPC Connor Masterson - Combat Medic killed in Afghanistan in 2007
*LCPL Daniel Olsen - Marine killed in Iraq in 2007

See also

*United States Department of Veterans Affairs
*United States National Cemetery

External links

* [http://www.cem.va.gov/ National Cemetery Administration]
* [http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/ftsnelling.asp Fort Snelling National Cemetery]