St. Paul, Minn. – The month of August brought both recognition and expansion to the Minnesota State Veterans Cemeteries.

The /mdva/memorials/stateveteranscemeteries/minnesota-state-veterans-cemetery-duluth.jspMinnesota State Veterans Cemetery - Duluth received the Operational Excellence Award from the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), a division of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

This award follows an August 2022 NCA National Cemetery Compliance Review that resulted in a score of 100%, with the cemetery meeting all critical, high and medium priority level standards. The compliance review examined 81 standards, such as such as Interment Operations, Grounds Maintenance, Headstone, Marker and Niche Cover, Equipment Maintenance and others, to ensure the best possible experience for families of Veterans interred at the cemeteries.

On August 18, James Earp, Director of the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program from the National Cemetery Administration, presented the award.

"I am so proud of our team and the honor that has been bestowed upon us,” said Cory Johnson, Duluth State Veterans Cemetery Administrator. “This prestigious award would not have been possible without our outstanding staff members and their steadfast commitment to our Veterans and their families. I am extremely thankful and humbled by their selfless service, compassion, and dedication. Our staff can be proud of what they have accomplished and know that they are now part of a small number of State Veterans Cemeteries to have received this recognition."

In 2022, the Duluth Cemetery interred 195 Veterans or spouses. Since opening in 2018, more than 868 Veterans and spouses have been interred there.

The award was not a surprise, according to MDVA Deputy Director of Memorial Affairs David Swantek. “The Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery - Duluth staff has embraced Minnesota’s reputation for operating State Veterans Cemeteries to nationwide-leading standards and is committed to providing Veterans and their families with the highest quality customer service that honors their service and sacrifice,” he said.

Brad Lindsay, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) Interim Commissioner, echoed those remarks, stating: “This award is a testament to the team’s hard work and commitment to achieving perfection. I am very proud of the entire team.”

This commitment to excellence is demonstrated throughout MDVA, where the service and sacrifice of Minnesota’s Veterans is honored with dignity and respect. In addition to Duluth, Minnesota State Veterans Cemeteries are located in /mdva/memorials/stateveteranscemeteries/minnesota-state-veterans-cemetery-preston.jspPreston and /mdva/memorials/stateveteranscemeteries/minnesota-state-veterans-cemetery-little-falls.jspLittle Falls. A fourth State Veterans Cemetery was dedicated in /mdva/memorials/stateveteranscemeteries/minnesota-state-veterans-cemetery-redwood-falls.jspRedwood Falls on August 19.

The Redwood Falls State Veterans Cemetery dedication event was attended by some 500 community members and featured a program with remarks from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs Matt Quinn.

More than a decade of advocacy by community leaders and funding applications by MDVA resulted in a vision becoming reality. MDVA wanted to provide a burial option closer to home for those living in the southwest part of the state, explained Interim Commissioner Lindsay.

The new cemetery opening was especially meaningful to those whose family members were the first interred there. Army Veteran Richard (Dick) LeSage was interred on August 7, exactly three years to the day he passed in 2020. Dick’s brother Robert (Bob) LeSage, himself a Vietnam War era Navy Veteran, was one of the community advocates. Bob said the family was willing to wait to inter Dick’s remains until the new cemetery was ready. Wanting to do “everything I could to make this viable,” Bob first sold 63 acres to Redwood County to use for the future cemetery, and then donated another 14 acres to the county as well.

On August 8, the Redwood Falls State Veterans Cemetery interred Lynda Corrow, spouse of Veteran David Corrow. When David was off serving his country in both the Navy and the Air Force, Lynda stayed at home: raising their family, contributing to their community and keeping the home fires burning.

“She might not have worn a uniform, but she served this nation just as much as I did,” David said. “I wanted to make sure that commitment to our country was honored at the end of her life. My mission was to see that we would be together, forever, when the time came.”

For both families, it was worth the wait.

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About MDVA
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) is a cabinet-level state agency dedicated to serving Minnesota Veterans and their families. In addition to overseeing the five State Veterans Homes, MDVA helps eligible Veterans and families secure state and federal benefits and provides programs and services relating to higher education, benefits, burial, claims, outreach and Veterans employment. Veterans and their families are encouraged to visit www.MinnesotaVeteran.org or call 1-(888)-LinkVet for more information about benefits.