A tornado struck northeast Iowa a week ago, and seven people were killed. About 220 homes were destroyed, and much of the downtown of Parkersburg, Iowa, (pop.: 1,800) was leveled.
We see these stories in the news an awful lot this time of year, and we feel sad for those who have been affected, but for the most part we move on. This one piqued my interest because four NFL players -- Green Bay defensive end Aaron Kampman, Detroit defensive end Jared DeVries, Jacksonville center Brad Meester and Denver offensive lineman Casey Wiegmann -- come from there, and I read where Kampman had sent out an urgent appeal for help. So I phoned him to hear his story, and it made me stop in my tracks.
"I remember something my high school football coach, Ed Thomas, said to me when I left home,'' said Kampman, who starred at Iowa before becoming a Pro Bowl defensive end in Green Bay. "'Never forget where you came from.' Being from here, you can't forget. When you are from somewhere, wherever it is, it's your heritage. And anyone from there, it's a simpler way of life, a tremendous way to grow up. It's my roots. It was a privilege to grow up there. I'll never forget.''
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