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Minnesota's last Medal of Honor recipient dies

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Jan 11, 2012 at 2:23 pm

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - Mike Colalillo, the last Congressional Medal of Honor recipient in Minnesota, has died. He was 86.

The Dougherty Funeral Home confirms that Colalillo died Friday at a Duluth nursing home.

He received the nation's highest military honor for killing or wounding 25 Germans and helping a seriously wounded comrade to safety during a fierce firefight toward the end of World War II.

Forty-six Minnesotans including Colalillo have received the Medal of Honor, according to the Minnesota Military Museum. According to Medal of Honor Society, Colalillo's death leaves 84 recipients still living across the country.

His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. James Catholic Church in Duluth. Burial will follow at Forest Hill Cemetery with full military honors by the Minnesota Army National Guard Honor Guard.