Little Falls Veterans Cemetery Honored with Prestigious Award

(KNSI) – A Central Minnesota veterans cemetery is the only one in the country being honored for meeting the highest standards for remembering those who served in the armed forces. The Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls has received the Operational Excellence Award from the National Cemetery Administration. The Little Falls State Veterans Cemetery, next to Camp Ripley, is the only state veterans cemetery in the country to receive recognition in 2021.

The final resting place for military members was given reviewed in July 2021 and had an average score of 96.3%, including meeting 100% of critical priority level standards. The review looked at 95 pieces of criteria such as internment, grounds maintenance, headstone, marker and niche cover, equipment maintenance, and other standards.

“Thank you for this recognition. We perform an important duty and a fulfilling job,” said Erik Sogge, Cemetery Administrator. “I’m so proud to work with the team here. This achievement is even more meaningful during a year when we had the highest number of annual interments in our history and were dealing with the pandemic as well.”

In 2021, the Little Falls Cemetery interred 599 Veterans or spouses versus an average annual total over the past five years of 493. Since opening in 1994, more than 9,000 Veterans and spouses have been interred there.

Minnesota has three veteran cemeteries in Little Falls, Preston and Duluth. A fourth State Veterans Cemetery is currently under construction in Redwood Falls and is expected to open on Veterans Day 2022.

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