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Pawlenty seeks soldier burial site in Duluth state park
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A grim, but unavoidable fallout of war is the bodies that come home to be buried. In Minnesota, there is only one such burial site operated by the state, in Little Falls.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty said today that with the nation engaged in a multi-front war, Minnesota must plan for a second site, this one to be located in Jay Cooke State Park southeast of Duluth.
"We have an act of war underway in two countries," Pawlenty said at a news conference to unveil plans for the new cemetery. "Our troops are directly engaged in the fight every day. Every day. It's important that words of gratitude are reflected in our deeds and our actions."
Pawlenty said that if approved by the federal government, costs for the new $8 million facility would be reimbursed entirely by the feds. Because of its location in northeastern Minnesota, the cemetery also would serve northern Wisconsin, he said, making the proposal more likely to receive federal funding.
The proposal would set aside 60 acres of flatland in the 8,781-acre Cooke park for a cemetery that could accommodate 6,000 gravesites over the next 10 years, according to state veterans' affairs officials.
The cemetery would take about a year to build and could be open by 2010. The state would have to pay costs up-front but would be reimbursed by the federal government, said Clark Dyrud, commissioner of veterans affairs.
Such a move, Pawlenty said, would be an "easy and fairly meritorious thing to support and a signal that we respect, honor and appreciate" the sacrifices of veterans.
Patricia Lopez • 651-222-1288
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