They came to remember not only those who died 20 years ago, but those who gave their lives since... in defense of the United States.
Dozens gathered at the state capitol building in St. Paul for the 9-11 Day of Remembrance, hearing from family members of those who lost their lives, and also listening while all of the names were read aloud, followed by the tolling of a single, solitary bell.
Family members often choked back tears when it came their turn to read the names of loved ones.
"I miss you," whispered the brother of Gordy Aamoth of Minneapolis, who was in the south tower of the World Trade Center when it collapsed.
A military band played "Amazing Grace," a Native American group played its own memorial music, an jets from the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth flew in formation above the crowd, sitting on the capitol lawn as a large American flag fluttered above the stage.
There were several mentions of Thomas Burnett, the Bloomington native who, along with fellow passengers, rushed the cockpit of Flight 93 and overtook the hijackers, crashing the plane into the ground in Pennsylvania before it could reach Washington, DC.
"I still ask God to send Tom to me in a dream, just so I can see him again," said Burnett's daughter Mariah Jacobson, who was given up for adoption before she got to know her father. "I still look for signs of him in myself and my kids. But even if I can't see him I can feel him. Each time I need to muster and extra ounce of courage or whenever I'm struggling to find light in the darkness, I feel his encouraging hand on my shoulder.
It took just about an hour to read all the names of the state's military personnel who died since 9-11, along with the seven Minnesotans who were killed exactly 20 years from the exact time the ceremony took place.
Many remarked on how Americans came together those days and months after the attacks, a feeling not lost on Gov. Walz.
"We were united," he said. "I'm not saying we thought the same, I'm not saying we all agreed on anything. But we understood the things that united us were far greater than those that divided us. And, at least for a few brief hours today, you've chosen to come down here today, and maybe get that feeling back."
There were several short pauses during the ceremony to mark the exact times when the hijacked airliners crashed in New York, Washington, and western Pennsylvania.
One of those jets, Flight 77 that rammed the Pentagon, was piloted by Charles "Chick" Burlingame of St. Paul.