MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds of people gathered at Fort Snelling National Cemetery to honor the tens of thousands of service members and their loved ones buried there.

Gov. Mark Dayton was among the speakers Monday. The governor talked about attending the funeral services for Minnesotans killed in Afghanistan or Iraq.

He called it a powerful time to share with families that he has usually never met, but were suddenly bound together by the tragedy that had befallen a loved one.

The assembled crowd also heard from Artis Parker, Fort Snelling’s acting cemetery director. He told the crowd to remember that freedom is not free and recognize the nobility of military service.

Nearly 200,000 service members and their loved ones are buried at the Fort Snelling cemetery.

In St. Paul, an Inver Grove Heights man received 11 long-overdue honors and medals on Memorial Day.

Sen. Al Franken presented Gerald Grove with a long list of decorations, including the World War II Victory Medal.

Grove was part of the invasion of Normandy at Omaha Beach. He escorted ammunition trains supplying the front lines and attended the Nuremberg Trials. He also served in Korea.

However, a fire destroyed his military records and the awards were never presented to him. His family was able to track down all the necessary paperwork and on Monday he received his awards.

Grove said he is extremely humbled.