Ft. Snelling Cemetery dedicates monument to 'Vikings' Battalion

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A group of Minnesota veterans tasked with a special mission in World War II received the recognition they deserved Saturday.

Fort Snelling Cemetery officials honored the 99th Infantry Battalion ahead of Memorial Day.

The group is made up of hundreds of Minnesotans of Norwegian heritage nicknamed “The Vikings.”

The Vikings needed to speak Norwegian and know how to ski to be a part of the troop.

Some fought in the Battle of the Bulge, liberating a concentration camp. Others fought to free their native Norway.

“We need to come together as a community to celebrate what they did, what they accomplished,” said Donna Pederson, a widow of a 99th Battalion member. “To honor those who didn’t come home. It’s just so important and continues to be important. So, it’s not forgotten.”

A monument was dedicated to them at the ceremony.