Osseo-Maple Grove American Legion to Honor Fallen Minnesota Soldiers

The Osseo-Maple Grove American Legion will be holding a flag ceremony to honor the 99 Minnesota service members lost in wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

The flag ceremony takes place on May 29, one day before Memorial Day. The commander will call off the names of each veteran who passed as a flag is placed into the ground along County Road 81.

Iraq War veteran James Hultgren says this ceremony is a way to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“Every generation has their thing that they they’ve done and for Iraq, Afghanistan, we don’t have that yet and so I thought this is a great way that we can pay tribute to those guys and gals that were out in the theater of operations with us that didn’t come back,” Hultgren said.

The flags will stay up for 24 hours and will be taken down on Memorial Day evening. The ceremony starts at 5 p.m. on May 29 at the Osseo-Maple Grove American Legion.