Cooler but still well above normal this week

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Will and Candace Thomas sat in the front row of the throngs gathered at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on this Memorial Day, remembering their son, Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas.

"We had no idea what to expect," said Will Thomas. "To see all the graves decorated today with the flags is visually a really important reminder of how many lives are here, and how many lives have been touched."


It was their first visit to the hallowed ground, the state's largest cemetery for members of the military, veterans and their families. Their son was born in Minnesota, grew up in St. Peter and was a 2007 graduate of St. Olaf. He joined the U.S. Army, becoming a Green Beret and served three tours of duty in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  His parents now live in Marshall.

 
"All of his friends, from the past and present. All of the men he served with, they have the same stories, that he was their number one fact geek and science nerd. He used that biology and environmental science degree from St. Olaf well," Candace Thomas said. She added that there is an endowed scholarship in his name and the family plans a foundation for environmental and science literacy. 

killed in October 2016, by an improvised explosive device

 while on patrol in Afghanistan. He was a special forces medic and among the most recent of those with Minnesota ties killed in the conflict that followed the 9/11 terror attacks.

His parents were acknowledged at Fort Snelling in a ceremony that also marked the 50th anniversary of the official designation of the day as Memorial Day. Thousands of people gathered on the cemetery's main road, many seeking shade under trees from the 90-degree heat.

Gov. Mark Dayton marked his final commemoration of the day at Fort Snelling, as he prepares to leave office at the end of the year.

"It is a day to remember that the freedom we treasure, our rights, our liberties, our democracy, is not free. It had to be won, and it must always be protected and defended," Dayton told the crowd. "The Minnesota and other American heroes that we honor today paid the ultimate price, made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and the freedom of millions around the world."


U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith both spoke at the ceremony, as did 1st District Congressman and veteran Tim Walz.


Brigadier General Jon Safstrom, assistant adjutant general of the Minnesota Air National Guard, gave the official address and urged those in attendance to remember those killed in service to their country.


"As we take this day to remember the fallen, to stand in solidarity with our loved ones, and remember their sacrifice, and look back at our country's 242-year history, to honor all of those who gave their lives for our freedom and liberty," Safstrom said. "Let us recommit ourselves to remind all Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day."

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Tim Nelson

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Attendees at the Memorial Day ceremony at Fort Snelling National Cemetery observed 50 years of tradition, while one family visited for the first time to remember a lost son.

Volunteers marked every grave at Fort Snelling with flags this year.

Tim Nelson | MPR News

Candace and Will Thomas spoke to U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Courtesy of U.S. Army

Hundreds of people retreated to the shade of the grove of trees.

Fort Snelling observes a Memorial Day anniversary with thousands of flags and record heat

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