The Twin Cities commute

It seems as if I have been commuting to the Twin Cities area for about the last two weeks on and off. Last Saturday we - the PGR- had the memorial service in Rosemount for cpl. Benjamin Kopp U.S.Army Ranger. He was wounded in Afghanistan and died at Walter Reed about a week later from complications from his wounds. He was hit in the leg while trying to break contact with the Taliban and must have picked up an infection or something. It seems hard to believe in this day and age that he could have been transported back to Walter Reed and they could not save him. The service at the Rosemount High school gym was almost like attending a church service, with three of his Ranger friends eulogizing him with quotes from the scriptures and the chaplain giving the main address. There were no dry eyes in our group as we were invited to stand around the mezzanine above the gym during the service. Today will be his send-off at Holman Field in St. Paul for his final trip to Arlington National Cemetery in DC. I ran into Phil afterwards and we met for lunch at a Mac and Dons' down the street, and hit a bike store in Lakeville on the way out. I'll add some pictures to the blog, some are from Rosemount and some are of the flowers blooming from the plants that we started way last winter. I almost forgot, But last Friday I was in Sioux Falls for the memorial service for a Viet Nam vet killed in a motorcycle accident. This guy had spent two tours in Viet Nam as a Force Recon Marine and gets killed by a kid that turned left in front of him near the Harley store. He was the member of a couple biker gangs, not Hells Angels but "real" biker gangs, and there were guys from all over that showed up for the service. The first couple of photos are from Sioux Falls, then one from Rosemount and the last few should be self explanatory, ok?