Eden Prairie residents gathered in Purgatory Creek Park on May 30 for this year’s Memorial Day Ceremony to honor and remember those who lost their lives in the U.S. Armed Forces.
As in years past, people set up chairs around the Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial for the ceremony. It is hosted annually by the Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial Committee, which helped fund the work on the memorial (which was dedicated in 2008) and come up with its design.
The Eden Prairie High School Band played “Minnesota March” and “Salute to America’s Finest” at the Memorial Day Ceremony on May 30. 
In his opening remarks, Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case said, “These brave Americans came together to stand up for and defend this great nation, founded on principles, founded on the rule of law, and founded on the shared belief in the common good.” 
Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial vice chair Robert Grant during the ceremony. 
Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial chair Kevin Rofidal speaks at the ceremony. 
The Viking Squadron Civil Air Patrol posting the colors. 
Pastor Rod Anderson gave the invocation. 
Author and veteran Tom Newman was the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Newman served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division as an infantry paratrooper. He wrote “Just War: A Soldier’s Revelation,” as well as other books including “Things To Come: A Brief History of the Bible.” 
Mayor Case said, “We are living arguably in one of the most divisive and troubling times in American history. And as I scrape together my optimism in this moment, my hope lies in us finding common shared beliefs. First, among those beliefs, is our shared, deep respect for those who have volunteered, those who sacrificed, and for those who have paid the ultimate price that we can be here today honoring our past and present military service members.” 
Speaking about his experience during the Vietnam War, Newman said “most of us have experienced these life changing events.They shape us for even greater achievements, or they sear horrendous scars on our souls. Our lives and we are changed forever. The new me, the new you.” 
Veterans stand during the “Salute to America’s Finest” played by the Eden Prairie High School Band. 
Pastor Rod Anderson, Tom Newman and Mayor Ron Case stand during the retiring of the colors. 
The Viking Squadron Civil Air Patrol retiring the colors. 
According to Newman: “It’s really important that we do not waste our learning by simply not talking about our experiences. Every combat veteran has a moral obligation to tell his story.”
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