Veteran Contacts
FORT SNELLING NATIONAL CEMETERY
Fort Snelling National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located at Fort Snelling just south of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota, adjacent to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. It is the older of the two national cemeteries in the state. You can find additional information here: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ftsnelling.asp
MEMORIAL RIFLE SQUAD AT FORT SNELLING NATIONAL CEMETERY
The principal duty of the Memorial Rifle Squad is to provide a military ceremonial burial services for honorably discharged veterans. Any family member or military units of veterans organizations wishing to participate will be accommodated by the Memorial Rifle Squad at Fort Snelling.
The Memorial Rifle Squad was created due to a change in the number of local active duty Armed Forces contingents. By 1978 Minnesota had lost most of its military personnel in the Twin Cities Area to a level where there were not enough personnel to provide Military honors at funerals of veterans. Families of veterans began contacting the various congressional officers and the State Headquarters of the major Veterans organizations. As the requests increased, it was determined that the presence of an organized Rifle Squad was necessary to honor the family requests and military burial service traditions.
George J. Weiss Jr. along with other concerned Veterans with the cooperation of the Fort Snelling Cemetery Committee, formed a special committee to provide full military site honors for deceased veterans. In 1979 George as one of the co-founders assisted in creating the Memorial Rifle Squad of Fort Snelling.
THE MINNESOTA VETERANS HOME
The Minnesota Veterans Home – Minneapolis is located on a peaceful, 53-acre wooded campus overlooking the Mississippi River near Minnehaha Falls. The campus contains 291 skilled nursing beds and 50 domiciliary beds in private and semiprivate rooms.
Their legacy began in the late 1800s when, what was then called the Old Soldiers Home, was built for indigent Veterans of the Civil War. Providing care for Veterans for the past 130 years, the shift in focus to making the health care needs of Veterans Homes a primary concern began in the 1960s.
The services are delivered by a dedicated staff of professionals who are passionate about providing the quality care our Veterans deserve – in a highly personalized manner. This care is enhanced by the natural beauty of the surroundings.