Feb 16, 2006 7:21 am US/Central
MN Soldier Killed In Tikrit
Cambridge, Minn. (AP) ―
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Cpl. Andrew Kemple in 1998.
CBS
A soldier from Minnesota who decided to join the military after the 9-11 terrorist attacks was killed by small arms fire in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced.
Cpl. Andrew Kemple, 23, of Cambridge, Minn., who was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky., died Sunday when his Humvee was attacked in Tikrit, the department said Wednesday. He is the 35th person with strong Minnesota ties to have died in connection with the war in Iraq.
Kemple wanted to join the Army after the attacks, but his mom was scared for him, and he agreed to think it over for awhile. When he enlisted in 2003, he had her support, his mother, Deirdre Ostlund, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.
"(Enlisting) was a serious decision; we thought about it for a long time," Ostlund said. "We supported him 100 percent because he felt so strongly about it."
Kemple was a 2001 graduate of Cambridge-Isanti High School. Principal Craig Paulson told the newspaper he couldn't talk about Kemple and that the man's family wanted to be the ones to share information with reporters.
Cambridge is about 45 miles north of St. Paul.
The Army said Kemple enlisted in 2003 and arrived at Fort Campbell in May 2004. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team in the 101st Airborne Division. There have been 123 soldiers from Fort Campbell killed in Iraq, including eight since the beginning of February. The sprawling Army post straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
Kemple, his mother recalled Wednesday, made some bad choices when he was a teenager but had matured into a respectable adult who always looked out for the underdog. "He was moved by human suffering and had a motivation to help other people," she said.
About a year ago, Ostlund moved to Brazil, where she retired with her husband, Kemple's stepfather, Richard Ostlund. She sent her son Brazilian chocolate, his favorite, and checked on him through e-mail and video messages via webcam.
"It was nice to see him smile and laugh," Ostlund said.
She returned to Minnesota Jan. 12 to visit family members and friends, and her son was scheduled to come for a visit in either June or July. "Andrew had a strong faith in God, and I have a strong belief he's with God, and we will be together again," she said.
Besides his mother and stepfather, Kemple is survived by his sister, Andrea Kemple, of St. Louis Park, Minn., and his father, John Kemple, of Motley, Minn.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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