Nov. 1—Northwestern College football player Dave Kleiner (Lakeville, Minn./Bethany Academy) was featured in Friday's edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Kleiner, a member of the U.S. Army National Guard, returned to the Eagle football team for the 2010 season after serving our country in Iraq.

Excerpt from story:
Before Dave Kleiner shipped out to Iraq, athletic officials at Northwestern College in Roseville invited students to see him off at a campus gathering. Many of them had cheered for him on Saturdays. When he left, they were given small American flags to remember him by, along with a request to pray for his safety.

Kleiner had become a standout defensive end for the Eagles, even though he didn't play football in high school. He entered uncharted territory again in 2009 as a member of Minnesota's Army National Guard, part of the 34th Military Police Company assigned to provide security at the U.S. base in Basra.

"I've seen a lot of war movies, and that's as close as I'm ever going to get to it," Eagles coach Kirk Talley said. "He was over there where you could get shot or blown up at any step. You try not to worry, but we couldn't help but be concerned about him."

Read Rachel Blount’s full story online.