Minnesota soldier killed in Iraq

Cpl. Andrew Kemple
Cpl. Andrew Kemple of Cambridge, Minnesota, was killed in Iraq on Sunday when his Humvee was attacked, according to the Defense Department.
Photo courtesy of Legacy.com

(AP) - A 23-year-old soldier from Cambridge has been killed by small arms fire in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.

Cpl. Andrew Kemple died in Tikrit on Sunday when his Humvee was attacked, the department said.

He is the 35th person with strong Minnesota ties to have died in connection with the war in Iraq.

Kemple was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky.

He was survived by a mother in Forest Lake, a father in Motley and a sister in St. Louis Park, according to news release from Fort Campbell.

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.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)