WKBT La Crosse, WI-NewsChannel 8-Services start for MN soldier killed at Fort Hood
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Associated Press - November 28, 2009 7:44 PM ET
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (AP) - Hundreds of people attended a memorial service Saturday for a St. Paul soldier killed in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas.
The service was the first of 3 days of traditional remembrances for 23-year-old Pfc. Kham Xiong (KAHM ZHONG). He was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan and was 1 of 13 people killed in the Nov. 5 attack.
The service will continue through Monday afternoon. A long list of public officials showed up, including Hmong General Vang Pao and Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Xiong will be buried with military honors at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
At the funeral, it was announced that Xiong will be granted honorary posthumous U.S. citizenship. He came to the U.S. as a young child.
Xiong leaves behind a wife and three small children.
Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mpr.org
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