| OUR HERO - SSG KEITH "MATT" MAUPIN |  |
This Page of Ohio Chapter 2's Web site is dedicated to Ohioan Staff Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin. OUR HERO. Matt is coming home. Fox 19 broke the sad news to the public this date, March 30, 2008. Please read the Fox 19 story below. Staff Sgt. Maupin was captured in April 2004 when gunmen armed with rocket propelled grenades attacked his convoy west of Baghdad. Please pray for Keith and Carolyn Maupin, the wonderful family of OUR HERO, Staff Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin. God bless Matt and his family. |
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Biographical Sketch | |
| MAUPIN, Keith "Matt" Name: Keith "Matt" Maupin April 19, 2004 - ARMY Changes Status to MISSING CAPTURED Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground Other Personnel in Incident: Six other Kellogg, Brown & Root employees; Thomas Hamill; Sgt. Elmer C. Krause
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| Biography - provided by WikipediA |
Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin (13 July 1983–) was a United States Army PFC captured by Iraqi insurgents on April 9, 2004 while serving in the Iraq War after his convoy came under attack by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire near Baghdad, Iraq. On June 28, 2004, Al Jazeera reported that he was executed by his captors who shot him in the head. On June 30, 2004, an Army spokesman said the video showing Maupin's alleged death was "totally inconclusive." Born on July 13, 1983 in Batavia, Ohio, Maupin was a 3.5 grade-point-average student and football player at Glen Este High School in Union Township, Clermont County, Ohio. He graduated in 2001 and enrolled in the University of Cincinnati Aerospace Engineering Program using a scholarship that he received from winning a writing competition. In 2002 he joined the United States Army Reserve and was stationed with the 705th Transportation Battalion based in Dayton, Ohio, Ohio. Maupin began basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and continued on to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for training as a Motor Transport Operator (88M). By the time he had completed training in spring of 2003, the 705th Transportation Battalion had deployed to Iraq and Maupin assigned to the 643rd Area Support Group out of Whitehall, Ohio. While fulfilling his monthly obligations as a reservist, Maupin worked at Sam's Club warehouse store and continued courses at the University of Cincinnati. In November 2003 Maupin was transferred to the recently mobilized 724th Transportation Company based out of Bartonville, Illinois. Maupin and the 724th arrived in Kuwait on February 20, 2004 and on March 5 proceeded to Camp Anaconda, Iraq to begin missions delivering fuel to various coalition installations. On April 9, 2004, Maupin's fuel convoy came under attack near the Baghdad International Airport. In what was described as a 5-mile long ambush, the 26-vehicle serial was pummeled by gunfire, mortar rounds and RPGs, disabling many of the civilian fuel tankers and Army vehicles. After the remnants of the convoy reached safe ground it was learned that around ten soldiers and civilian KBR contractors were wounded while one soldier and a civilian driver had been killed in the battle. PFC Maupin was among the nine people unaccounted for – seven civilians and two soldiers. One of the missing civilian drivers, Thomas Hamill, had been taken hostage during the ambush and escaped his captors on May 2, 2004. The bodies of five other civilians and the second soldier were subsequently recovered (all are thought to have been killed in the ambush); Civilian driver Timothy Bell remains missing and is presumed dead since he never appeared in a hostage video. On April 16, 2004, Maupin appeared on a videotape broadcast by the Arabic-language TV network Al Jazeera. The tape, reportedly delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar, raised hopes that Maupin was still alive. In the video, the soldier identified himself as "Private First Class Keith Matthew Maupin", a standard procedure followed by prisoners of war which protect their rights under the Third Geneva Convention. [The paragraph originally located here in the WikipediA info has been intentionally deleted by Rolling Thunder® Ohio Chapter 2 Web Master] Maupin has been promoted three times since he was declared missing in action, first from Private First Class to Specialist, then to Sergeant, then lastly, Staff Sergeant.
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We thank Gina Chon, Cincinnati, for writing this article and keeping Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin's in everyone hearts and minds. Ms. Chon is an Iraq Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. Her article appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal - you can't get any better placement than that. Ms. Chon is our Hero too for keeping the POW/MIA issues alive and in front of the public. Job well done Ms. Chon. Please keep up your efforts - we love you for what you are doing and I know Matt loves you too. | |||
The disappearance in Iraq of Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Matthew Maupin turned his parents into activists. They speak at rallies, have met eight times with President Bush and have sent 9,000 care packages to soldiers in Iraq, each containing 10 wallet-sized photos of their son, missing nearly four years. "Matt's in trouble," says Keith Maupin, Matthew's father, who quit his home-construction job to run a soldier-support center that he and his former wife founded. Now living off savings, Mr. Maupin says, "I don't need much. He needs me."In Ann Arbor, Mich., the parents of missing Army Reserve Sgt. Ahmed Altaie are no less committed to finding their son. Yet they avoid ceremonies honoring him and other missing soldiers. They often shun reporters, hoping to curry favor with their son's captors in Iraq. "We don't want to make the kidnappers angry," says Nawal Altaie, Ahmed's mother. The two families haven't met or spoken, but they share a peculiar anguish. Their sons are two of only four soldiers categorized as "missing-captured" in the Iraq war. In Afghanistan, no U.S. soldiers are missing. The handful of families with lost sons grieve in isolation. The small list of Iraq's missing is a big change from previous American wars. In Vietnam, Pentagon officials designated some 2,600 soldiers either as a Prisoner of War or as Missing in Action. Their plight became a symbol of that conflict's deep wounds for decades to come. There are still efforts to recover missing remains from World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. The reasons for the smaller numbers in this war are straight-forward: There are fewer troops on the ground in Iraq, and U.S. commanders largely have control over the battlefield. Technological advances like satellite phones and imagery help make tracking troops easier. And commanders can deploy big search parties and offer rewards. Countless lost soldiers in Iraq have been found within hours or days of going missing. Military officials, meanwhile, have quietly dropped the emotionally charged designation for Iraq's military missing. Following Vietnam, "POW" and "MIA" became acrimonious acronyms as veterans' supporters accused the government of doing too little to find and bring home missing soldiers. Behind the new designation -- "missing/captured" -- is the Bush administration's argument that terrorist captors don't warrant the use of terms recognized by the Geneva Convention. The families of the four soldiers missing in Iraq say the new designation, while accurate and inoffensive, is so unfamiliar that the public doesn't understand it. "Nobody knows what 'missing-captured' means," says Carolyn Maupin, Sgt. Maupin's mother. "We always call Matt a POW. People understand that." All four of the missing U.S. military personnel in Iraq belonged to the Army, whose soldiers constitute more than 80% of American forces there. Two of the missing are Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez and Army Pvt. First Class Byron Fouty. Both are members of the 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Drum, New York. They were captured together during an attack last May. Of course, their hope is that the two men will be found alive before then. But haunting all of these families is the fate of Private First Class Joseph Anzack Jr., who went missing along with Messrs. Fouty and Jimenez. Almost two weeks after his disappearance, the body of Mr. Anzack was found in the Euphrates River. The Pentagon says it hasn't given up on any of Iraq's missing. It is continuing to pay their salaries, to their designated beneficiaries. If a body is found, life insurance will be paid. U.S. commanders still send out search missions for the two Mountain Division soldiers. Army commanders have formed a 10-man task force to seek fresh information about their whereabouts. Last October, Navy dive teams and dogs searched areas along the Euphrates River near where the two went missing. Apache helicopters circled overhead, and American troops handed out fliers with pictures of the two. Last month, the U.S. military arrested two suspects believed to be related to their capture. For the longest-missing U.S. soldiers, Sgts. Maupin and Altaie, the trail has gone cold, spurring their families to employ two very different strategies. Signing Up Matt Maupin grew up about 20 miles from Cincinnati in the town of Batavia, Ohio, played football in high school and later worked at the local Sam's Club. While studying nutritional science at the University of Cincinnati, he joined the Army Reserves in 2002 to earn money for school. He deployed in February 2004 as a private in the 724th Transportation Company based out of Bartonsville, Ill. He was 20 years old.
Chaos gripped Iraq when he arrived there that March. That month, four American security contractors were killed in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, inciting widespread violence. Anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army was fighting American troops in Baghdad and elsewhere. In April, the U.S. issued an arrest warrant for the cleric. Four days later, Sgt. Maupin was riding in a truck, part of a security escort for a 26-vehicle convoy of fuel supply tankers and Army vehicles headed to the Baghdad airport. As they traversed the Abu Ghraib district of Baghdad, insurgents hiding in ditches and nearby homes launched an ambush. In a hail of mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, attackers destroyed most of the convoy. Two people died in the attack and 10 were wounded. Two soldiers and seven civilians were missing. The bodies of five civilians and one of the soldiers were later found, but Sgt. Maupin wasn't among them. The military set up a task force to search for him. Troops conducted raids and detained suspects. But many roads in Baghdad were unsafe, and insurgents constantly attacked convoys, making it difficult to gather evidence. "It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack," says Staff Sgt. Michael Bailey, who worked with the missing soldier in Iraq and helped look for him. Terrifying Video A week after his disappearance, Sgt. Maupin appeared in a video with men carrying guns and wearing scarves to hide their faces. The group -- calling itself the Sharp Sword Against the Enemies of God and His Prophet -- said it could swap Sgt. Maupin for prisoners held by the U.S. But weeks passed without any further communications. Then in June, Al-Jazeera broadcast a grainy video of a blindfolded man it identified at Sgt. Maupin. The network said the next scene, which it didn't air, showed the man being shot in the head. But the U.S. Army said a few days later that it wasn't clear who the person in the video really was. In early May, one of the missing contractors from the ambush escaped his captors, but he had no information about Sgt. Maupin and had learned little of the men who held him. The other missing contractor was never found but is presumed dead. Back in Ohio, military officials, friends and neighbors initially swarmed the homes of Mr. Maupin and his former wife. Friendly since their divorce more than 15 years earlier, the Maupins became partners in the campaign to find their son. Mr. and Mrs. Maupin have seen the video that Al-Jazeera claimed shows their son being shot, but they don't believe the victim was him. They call their son a 24-year-old, though he hasn't been seen since age 20. As the media clamored for interviews, the Maupins became star attractions at Veterans' Day ceremonies and Memorial Day parades. They thought the press attention would help the public, and the kidnappers, get to know their son as a person. Beating the Drum But as months passed, demand for interviews faded, and the Maupins realized it was up to them to keep their son's case in the limelight. So in August 2004, the Maupins opened the Yellow Ribbon Support Center in a strip mall on the outskirts of Cincinnati. They've raised thousands of dollars for scholarships and computers for troops in Iraq. The Yellow Ribbon center has a front room plastered with pictures and paintings of Sgt. Maupin, POW/MIA emblems and cards of support. In the back are shelves stocked with deodorant, shampoo and candy to send to Iraq. Each box the center sends out contains 10 photos of Sgt. Maupin. A sticker on the back of each reads, "Please place me in your bible and say a prayer for me. I'm captured in Iraq, and prayers can set me free." The military used to make frequent appearances at the center and at Mrs. Maupin's home, but that has dwindled to four visits a year, the Maupins say. They haven't received any new updates for some time, and they worry the Army has reached the limit of what it will do for their son. Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, says the search for Sgt. Maupin and the other missing-captured soldiers continues and won't stop until they are found, alive or dead. The military pays for the couple to fly to Washington every three months for a briefing. They've also met President Bush in private meetings on Air Force One and in limousine meetings when he's in the Cincinnati area. Mr. Bush has also met them at the Pentagon and called them on several occasions to ask how they are doing. Mr. Maupin, his beard long and scraggly, says he won't shave until his son returns. "I want them to resolve this," he says. "They sure as hell are not going to leave him in Iraq." In Batavia, homes, storefronts and Sgt. Maupin's old high school are plastered with yellow ribbons, flags and signs of support. Mrs. Maupin replaces yellow ribbons and bows near her home every two weeks. She still buys Christmas gifts for Matt, piling them up in his packed room filled with letters, POW/MIA flags and gifts from around the world. In her dining room is what she calls her 365-day Christmas tree, displayed year round. She won't take it down until her son comes home. Iraqi-U.S. Saga Nawal and Kousay Altaie sent their son to the U.S. in 1979 to join his older brother in the hopes he'd have a better life there. Initially, he lived with relatives in Dearborn, Mich., which has a large Arab-American population. Weary of life under Saddam Hussein, the couple joined their sons in Michigan in 1993. After attending high school in Detroit, Sgt. Altaie worked as a mechanic at different airports around the country and on the side was studying to become an engineer like his father. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he lost his job and spent months trying to figure out what to do next. Like many Iraqi-Americans, he decided to visit his native country with his parents after the U.S. invasion in 2003. Sgt. Altaie enjoyed life back home, meeting a woman he would eventually marry. When he returned to the U.S. several months later, he decided to join the Army Reserves to help his native country and his adopted one. He was twice the age of most of the recruits and found the physical requirements of basic training strenuous. But completing the training boosted his confidence. He arrived in Iraq in November 2005 as a translator for a military reconstruction team in Baghdad. The group was based in the tightly guarded "Green Zone," controlled by American forces. "He seemed happier," his mother says. "We worried about him, but we thought he was in the Green Zone, so maybe he was safer." But Sgt. Altaie also took chances outside the Green Zone. On several occasions, he left base to run errands and visit his wife, whom he had married earlier in the year. That was against military rules, and he kept his excursions secret. Risky Venture One day in late October 2006, the 41-year-old Sgt. Altaie sneaked into town and visited several mechanics to get his new motorcycle fixed. Later, he met a friend. Just after 4 p.m., he made his way toward his wife's home in the then-volatile Karrada neighborhood of Baghdad to celebrate the first day of the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr. As Sgt. Altaie approached his wife's home, several men in three vehicles pulled up and grabbed him. At the time, Sgt. Altaie was on the phone with the friend he had just visited; the friend heard the sound of a phone dropping and of Sgt. Altaie's wife screaming, begging the captors to let him go. Handcuffing him, the gunmen threw him in the back of a car. The friend called Sgt. Altaie's phone 10 minutes later, and an unidentified man answered, saying Sgt. Altaie had been taken by the Mahdi Army, the militia controlled by Mr. Sadr. The friend, who declined to be named because he is worried about family in Baghdad, immediately called the Altaies in Michigan. When Kousay Altaie heard the news, he slammed his fist on a table. The family started calling relatives in Iraq to see if any could help their son. They also called the U.S. Army. Officials hadn't known Sgt. Altaie had left the Green Zone. After they heard of the kidnapping, commanders deployed more than 2,000 troops to Sadr City, a neighborhood under the effective control of the Mahdi Army, and elsewhere. They set up checkpoints and blocked off swaths of Baghdad. Under pressure from Mr. Sadr, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki protested the lockdown, and the U.S. military eventually relented, re-opening the area to traffic. But tensions flared. Troops clashed with Mahdi Army gunmen. U.S. raids, air strikes and arrests continued. The U.S. military announced a $50,000 reward for information on the missing soldier. In Ann Arbor, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and military officials converged on the Altaie home, wiretapping phones in case the kidnappers called and interviewing relatives. The family called on a well-connected relative, Nawal Altaie's brother, who worked for Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, which had been a major ally of the U.S. Three days after Sgt. Altaie's disappearance, the kidnappers emailed a ransom demand to his family, asking for $250,000. The Altaies asked for proof their son was still alive before they paid, but they never heard back from the kidnappers. Months passed without any news. Then, on Feb. 14, 2007, CNN aired a video of Sgt. Altaie. His lips were moving, but the video had no sound. Militants who called themselves the Ahl al-Bayt brigade issued a statement: "We warn the American people of the result of sending their soldiers to Iraq so they don't face the same fate." The Altaies were overjoyed to see their son alive. But they also thought he looked tired. It's the last substantiated news they've had. Lack of Sympathy Mrs. Altaie considered going on Arab television to appeal for her son's release, but her husband ruled against it, fearing it would anger the captors. They heard an Arab television commentator question why there was so much attention aimed at Sgt. Altaie when many Iraqis were suffering and his family was in America, safe and living a good life. It seemed to the Altaies that other Arabs didn't have much sympathy for them, and this was all the more reason to keep quiet, the family thought. The Altaies have considered visiting Iraq, but have been warned that they too could be kidnapped. The visits and calls from the military have faded. Military officials have said they believe Sgt. Altaie is still alive, but they have offered no evidence to support that belief. "We just want to know what happened to him," Mrs. Altaie says. "They don't have news for us anymore." A yellow ribbon and plastic yellow rose, given to them by a neighbor, hangs above a "Support Our Troops" sign on the front door of the Altaie's two-story home in a quiet co-op complex. The Altaies didn't understand what the ribbon and rose symbolized until the neighbor told them. The Altaies spend most of their days watching Arab television and seeing relatives or Iraqi friends in their living room, which is decorated with sayings from the Koran and a few family pictures. There are three photos of Sgt. Altaie. Mrs. Altaie weeps when she remembers how her son used to call her nearly every morning to let her know he was okay. She isn't interested in talking to other families of missing soldiers. She worries her English isn't good enough, and she knows talking to them won't bring her son back. "When Ahmed comes back, we'll have a big party and invite everyone," she says. | |||
![[Missing in Action]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AK318_MIAjum_20080125224625.jpg) | |||
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![[The parents of Keith Matthew Maupin]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-AY657_mia_pa_20080125165519.jpg)
Where is Matt - We want to know - So we asked our government officials - Read on | ||
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Rolling Thunder® Ohio Chapter 2 is chronicling efforts to get the DPMO (Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office) to give us current information on the whereabouts of our Hero - Staff Sgt. Keith Matt Maupin. The following gives actions taken in date order: | ||
OHIO CHAPTER 2 LETTER OF REQUEST
Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) Re: Keith Matthew “Matt” Maupin, POW – Iraqi War Gentlemen, I’m writing to inquire and get information on the DPMO’s efforts to determine the whereabouts of Staff Sgt. Keith Matthew “Matt” Maupin, U.S. Army Reserves, 724th Transportation Company, Bartonville, Ill. SSG Maupin was captured April 9, 2004, west of Baghdad, Iraq. I, along with many of my fellow patriots, am following any and all efforts made by the DPMO to return SSG Maupin to his family. As of the date of this letter, however, we’ve heard no current information on the whereabouts of SSG Maupin. The last article published in the Cincinnati Enquirer (http://www.cincinnati.com/news/maupin/) is dated in April 2005. We’re all concerned that the DPMO has dropped the mission of locating SSG Maupin and need to be brought up-to-date on your progress, therefore, I am respectfully requesting that the DPMO provide me with current information on the DPMO’s efforts to locate SSG Keith Matthew Maupin. If you are unwilling and/or unable to provide me with current information on your efforts to locate SSG Maupin, please give me the necessary instructions on how to go about getting such information and from whom I can get the information. Thank you in advance for your timely response to my request. Sincerely yours, George D. “Danny” Griffin Webmaster
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DPMO's OFFICIAL RESPONSE | ||
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What Do You Think of the DPMO's Response?? That's all of the DPMO response; if you can call the DPMO letter a "response." Our inquiry as to the whereabouts of our Hero - Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin - goes unanswered. I guess this is the standard jargon type letter that the population of concerned Americans get from the DPMO. I truly hope that the Maupin family is getting current information but I have serious doubts that anyone is getting any current info. Ohio Chapter 2 corresponded with Ms. Lynn O'Shea, who publishes her "Bits N Pieces" for the National Alliance of Families for the Return of America's Missing Servicemen. Ms. O'shea stated that she didn't have any more current information on Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin other than what she published in her October 2006 newsletter. If someone of Ms. O'Shea's status cannot obtain current information, I doubt if anyone can. Guess what - Ohio Chapter 2 is not giving up. We're going to hang in there with all those who are waiting for Matt to be returned safely to his family, friends and supporters. Before we write to President Bush, Ohio Chapter 2 will write back to Mr. Ray and see if he will give us a contact name of someone in the U.S. Army who is willing to share current information on the safety and whereabouts of Staff Sgt. Maupin. | ||
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Chapter 2 disappointed in the DPMO's Response
Mr. Charles A. Ray Re: Keith Matthew “Matt” Maupin, POW – Iraq Dear Mr. Ray, Webmaster | ||
Sure takes a long time for a letter to get to the DPMO???
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If you look at the time line on sending and receiving requests to the DPMO, you can readily understand the frustration experienced when corresponding with the DPMO - takes forever for a letter to be turned around. Read on:
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Based on Ms. Chon's article above, Rolling Thunder Ohio® Chapter 2 is not the only group that isn't getting any current information on our Hero, Matt Maupin. Additionally, as you can see from Ms. Chon's article, the Maupin family is getting little information - only four visitations a year. Ms. Chon's article also states that the Maupins haven't received any new updates for some time and that the Maupins worry that the Army has reached the limit of what they are willing to do for Matt. Thanks a lot DPMO, Sec. of Defense and Dept. of the Army - thanks for nothing. Fox 19 reports that Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin is coming home. Fox 19 reports the Maupins confirm D-N-A is from body of son. Click here to read Fox 19 report.
God Bless Matt Maupin and his family. | ||
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Maupin Parents Meet President Bush on Missing Son | ||
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Where is Matt Maupin? It’s Been Almost Three Years Since the U.S. Soldier Was Kidnapped, but He Still Hasn’t Been Found By MARCUS BARAM Jan. 14, 2007 — In the village of Batavia, Ohio, a community that prides itself on its clean-cut values, it's hard not to notice Keith Maupin. With a gray and scraggly beard that hangs down below his chest, the 56-year-old is known by everyone. Maupin hasn't shaved his facial hair in almost three years — not since April 9, 2004, to be exact. That's the day Maupin's son, Matt, a soldier serving in Iraq, was kidnapped by militants who ambushed his convoy outside Baghdad with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire. Since then, a special Army task force has pursued countless leads and engaged in at least 200 missions to search for him, but Sgt. Maupin has not yet been found and remains the longest-missing U.S. soldier in the current Iraq conflict. "It gets frustrating," says Keith Maupin, who has vowed not to shave his beard until his son returns. "It's been almost three years, and they haven't found hide nor hair of him. I don't know what they're doing, but it's not working out right." Maupin and his ex-wife, Carolyn, are among the most active military families in the country. They've set up the Yellow Ribbon Military Support Center, which has become a full-time job for the couple. And at the Sam's Club where Matt used to work stocking shelves, his father has sent 170,000 photos of Matt around the world to keep his memory alive. Keith Maupin is persistent. He has talked to President Bush seven times and asked numerous generals and commanders about what they're doing to find his son. When the president once asked him when he would cut his hair, Maupin responded: "When you bring Matt home." Every three months, the Maupins head to the Pentagon to get updates from military personnel — they're leaving in three weeks for the next visit. And they're trying to stay patient as the information has slowed to a trickle. "It has been dry for a while. They've had no major leads in a long time." The biggest lead so far has also been the most disheartening. A week after Maupin's convoy was ambushed, a video depicting the soldier was delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar, and aired on Al-Jazeera. It raised hopes that Matt Maupin was still alive, since he identified himself by his military rank, which is standard procedure for prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. But two months later, another video was aired from a previously unknown group calling itself Persistent Power Against the Enemies of God and the Prophet. The tape purports to show Maupin being executed by gunshot, but the Pentagon has determined that the videotape was inconclusive and Maupin's parents don't believe it's him. "It was so grainy that you couldn't tell whether he was black or white," says Keith Maupin. "I pray that these guys who have him show compassion." Others believe that the tape looks legitimate, and that Maupin is most likely dead after all this time and amid the chaos of Iraq. "Looking at the video, it sure looks like Keith," says Daniel O'Shea, the former coordinator of the Pentagon's Hostage Working Group, which is dedicated to recovering soldiers and contractors who've been kidnapped in Iraq. "I don't hold out a tremendous amount of hope." The day that Maupin was kidnapped was a mix of chaos, blood and miscommunication for his unit. The route taken by his convoy passed several abandoned buildings sheltering insurgents and was notorious for rocket attacks, improvised explosive devices and mortar fire. Just days before, a soldier in Maupin's unit, Staff Sgt. Mike Bailey, barely survived the treacherous road that was dubbed Swords. "There were gun battles that morning — only speed and suppressive fire got us through," Bailey tells ABCNEWS.com. On the day that Maupin's convoy was set to head out, Bailey says there were debates about which route to follow and some miscommunication about the danger of Swords. Just minutes before the convoy began its journey, a soldier in the highway-safety office at Camp Anaconda tried warning the unit, "Sorry, looks like Sword is closed until further notice." But the soldier mistakenly sent the e-mail to himself, according to an article in Esquire magazine. The Pentagon declined to comment on the report. "When the lieutenant gave them the safety briefing, I was sick to my stomach," says Bailey, whose convoy was supposed to follow Maupin's group about 20 minutes later. "Because I knew something would happen." At first, insurgents hit the 26-vehicle convoy with machine-gun fire. Then, Maupin and his group were hit by mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenades, damaging the fuel tankers and Army vehicles. The driver of Maupin's truck was killed as it caught on fire and ran off the road. When the dust cleared, two soldiers and six civilian contractors had been killed, 10 soldiers and contractors had been wounded and nine people were unaccounted for. One of the missing drivers, Thomas Hamill, was taken hostage but escaped his captors on May 2, 2004. Another driver, Timothy Bell, remains missing and is presumed dead. "The ambush worked according to the way they had it worked out," says Bailey. "It was textbook perfect." Soon after Maupin was nabbed, the military set up a small task force of four or five soldiers led by an officer tasked with finding the missing soldier. The task force conducts weekly meetings about Maupin's case with the Hostage Working Group. Working on leads it gets from local Iraqis and detainees, the U.S. military has raided towns, searched fields and prisons to find him. "No stone was unturned for Keith Maupin," says O'Shea. "You can never say never. Look at [contractor] Roy Hallums, who was in a hole in the ground for 311 days. We had nothing on him for months and the consensus was that he'd been killed. And then we brought him back alive." O'Shea shares the concerns of some POW/MIA groups that Maupin may never be found, that the militants who nabbed Maupin — and others who know of his whereabouts — may have been killed in Baghdad's violent mayhem over the last two years. But he remains convinced that there must still be traces left. "Someone in Iraq knows where Keith is buried," says O'Shea. "The way the tribal communities work over there and the way that information travels, there are more than four people who know where he is." Of all the American soldiers and contractors who have been kidnapped in Iraq, 5 percent were rescued, 2 percent escaped, 30 percent were released, 35 percent were killed and 20 percent are still missing from April 2004 to April 2006, according to O'Shea. Aside from Maupin, Iraqi-American soldier Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie is the only other U.S. soldier still missing. There are also several American contractors who have been kidnapped and who have not yet been recovered. During the first Gulf War, pilot Scott Speicher's F/A-18 was shot down over Iraq and he remains missing in action. And, by some estimates, at least 2,500 U.S. soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War remain missing. But in Batavia, where yellow ribbons and American flags are ubiquitous, the community has not given up hope for Maupin. Every day, neighbors come in to make donations for the care packages that the Maupins send to soldiers in Iraq and to offer their support to the family. And Maupin's unit hasn't forgotten about him either. Bailey is going back to Iraq for his third tour in a few months and his mission will be looking for his friend. Sustained by memories of Maupin — his love of the music of Three Doors Down and his physical strength ("We had a push-up contest in Kuwait and he won. Wearing his bulletproof vest and helmet, he did 100 push-ups"), Bailey plans to talk to commanders and soldiers about the search. "I'd really like to get out there and hunt for him — we won't rest until we bring Matt back."
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New Effort or Last Ditch Effort Lynn O'Shea New Effort or Last Ditch Effort – On October 13th WKRC 12 Cincinnati reported on a new effort to locate Sgt. Matt Maupin, Prisoner of War in Iraq. According to the story filed by Local 12 reporter Paul Adler; "A new push by the Army to find Sergeant Matt Maupin has resulted in a paid advertisement that appeared on Iraqi television. A military official, close to the project, told Local 12 the ad produced no new leads during its run. That official also expressed doubts that Matt Maupin is alive. We want to make it clear, this military official requested his name be withheld as part of our report." "Tonight he shows us the ad.... You may not understand the spoken words, but here's the translation. "Help heal the pain of these separated families." The ad is a plea to find Matt Maupin, but you don't see him until 15 seconds after the start. His parents don't appear for another 20 seconds....." "An official in Iraq, close to the production of the ad, told us the men who attacked Matt's convoy are hard core opponents, very little will get them to talk. The military official told us the ad focused on Iraqis because, he says, the majority of Iraqis don't care what happens to Americans." "Carolyn Maupin: "I'm just hoping and praying there's someone over there that's a little bit different than that. Maybe they feel a little bit differently, believe a little differently." "Our source told us the ad produced no new leads. He went on to say it's decreasingly likely that we'll elicit information on Matt's location and increasingly likely he's dead or deceased. As you might expect, those are fighting words for Army officials who speak on the record, and they're fighting words for Matt's parents, too." " Carolyn Maupin: "We're to keep our hope up. And praying until they can prove to us 100 percent either way. And that's what I'm going to do. And I realize we only have a 50/50 chance here, but I'm not going the low road. I'm going the high road." "The Army's official stance is we're committed to tracking all leads. The goal is to return Staff Sergeant Matt Maupin. We have no substantiated evidence he's deceased..... While others express doubts, Matt's parents expect no less than a safe return." "Keith Maupin: Just bring Matt home. That's all I ask from you." #################### Is the Army Preparing to Declare Matt Maupin Dead - Several months ago we were told, by a very well placed individual, that the Army believed Sgt. Maupin is dead and would like to change his status. We did not report this information, as we usually like a least a second source confirmation. WKRC has now confirmed that that information. While the WKRC story is soft in it’s wording, no punches were pulled when we were told the Army believes Maupin is dead. When we were told of this information, we asked why the Army had not acted, on the status. Our answer was a pointed look, with a "Well....." That trailed off into a shrug of the shoulders. Our response was "the POW/MIA groups." There was a slight nod of the head and the topic was changed.
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Promotion Announced - WCPO.com / 9News provides the following information on our Hero - Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin | ||
Matt Maupin Promoted By Army Union Township soldier Matt Maupin has been promoted by the Army from sergeant to staff sergeant. Maupin hasn't been seen since being captured by insurgents on April 9, 2004, in Baghdad. Maupin remains the only soldier listed as missing in Iraq. Maupin's mother, Carolyn, told 9News Tuesday that she is happy about the promotion and the family hasn't heard anything else new on his status. Missing Local Soldier Inducted Into NCO Corps Missing Tri-state soldier Matt Maupin will be inducted in the non-commissioned officer corps Saturday during a ceremony in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. The ceremony signifies the soldier is ready for more responsibilty and leadership positions. The soldier from Batavia was captured when his convoy was attacked in Iraq in April 2004. Maupin is the only soldier listed as "captured" for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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April 3, 2006 | |
Lone U.S. Soldier Remains Missing By Joyce Howard Price April 3, 2006 Sunday will mark the second anniversary of the capture near Baghdad of Army Reserve Sgt. Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin of Batavia, Ohio, the only U.S. soldier not accounted for in the three years of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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Ohio Chapter 2 received the following transmission from Ms. | ||
Maupin Family Angry at Army The parents of the military’s only soldier listed as missing-captured said they’ve “had enough” of the Army’s breakdown in alerting them to developments in the search for their son, Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin. Lynn O'Shea | ||
There is new information tonight on the search for missing Union Township soldier Matt Maupin. | ||
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Base Dedicates Computer Lab in Name of Soldier Captured in IraqBy Sgt. Jason Mikeworth, USA | ||
LOGISTICS SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, The Sgt. Matt Maupin Computer Lab was made possible by the donation of 35 computers by Maupin's parents, Keith and Carolyn Maupin. Another 55 donated computers will be used to set up the Sgt. Matt Maupin Internet Cafe here. Maupin, of Batavia, Ohio, is assigned to the 724th Transportation Company, an Army Reserve unit based out of Bartonville, Ill. Maupin deployed to Iraq in February 2004. On April 9, 2004, the one-year anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, Maupin was on a convoy to deliver fuel when it was attacked near the Baghdad International Airport by a force of nearly 200 insurgents. They attacked with small-arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades, machine-gun fire and improvised explosive devices. Shortly after the attack, Maupin's status was listed as "whereabouts unknown." On April 16, 2004, Maupin was shown alive in a video on the Al-Jazeera television network, and his status was officially changed to captured. "This lab will allow all warriors who are serving in Iraq to stay in touch with their families, pursue education, or simply enjoy some personal time surfing the World Wide Web," said Army Brig. Gen. Yves Fontaine, the commander of the 1st Corps Support Command and LSA Anaconda. "We open the doors to this facility with the hope that Matt will be found soon." The Maupins dedicated the computers soldiers' personal use, said Sgt. Maj. Angela Adams, of the 301st Corps Support Group and the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Education Center. A chief complaint of Maupin during phone calls home was the difficulty he had accessing a computer to e-mail home. Adams also noted the marked improvement over the previous set up. "We used to have 10 laptops that everyone was using," Adams said. "We've had about 8,000 users so far, and that was just on our little laptops." Adams said she envisions more soldiers being able to complete online college classes and correspondence courses. "Now we'll get more users, and the system is so much faster. It'll give them more services, and more users will be able to use (the computers)," Adams said. "From 10 to 35, you just can't beat it." Some special improvements had to be made at the Education Center to accommodate the gift, said Army Master Sgt. Marcus Williamson, a communications section chief from the 301st. Extra power and extra Internet lines had to be wired into the computer lab. Along with college classes and e-mail services, soldiers are able to use instant messaging programs, download pictures from home, and even use Webcams to chat with family. The computers also feature a picture of Maupin as the background image to remind soldiers he is still held captive. "These are a dedicated resource to bridge the communication gap," Fontaine said. "Direct communications services provided here will give families and soldiers the ability to share strength, courage, determination and pride. It will keep fathers in touch with daughters, mothers and sons, husbands and wives." Quoting the motto of the National League of POW/MIA Families, "Not Forgotten," Fontaine spoke of Maupin and what the computer lab symbolizes. "The story is told about Matt, that he is a proud soldier, who knows his duty and does not shirk from it. He is loved and missed by everyone who knows him. "Our country remains dedicated to finding Matt. The efforts of this lab are representative of the respect and concern our nation has for finding him," the general said. "The systems are for the exclusive use for soldiers and all bear a picture of Sergeant Maupin as a reminder that he is still out there waiting for us." (Army Sgt. Jason Mikeworth is assigned to the 207th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
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April 8, 2005 | |
Maupin gone year, but not forgotten | |
UNION TWP. - When news broke one year ago that a hometown soldier had been captured in Iraq, this community responded with open arms and constant prayers. Yellow ribbons and pictures of Pfc. Keith Matthew Maupin, a 2001 graduate of Glen Este High School, popped up all over Union Township and Clermont County. Churches held prayer vigils, and the community held support-the-troops celebrations. One year later, the support has not waned. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of Maupin's capture. "This one boy, he symbolizes every soldier," said Clermont County spokeswoman Kathy Lehr. "He could be your neighbor, could be your son. We've all become a little bit more involved. "It's been refreshing to see the community spirit revived." With a daylong concert and dinner on Saturday that will help send packages to American troops abroad, then a motorcycle ride on Sunday that benefits a scholarship fund at Maupin's alma mater, this weekend begins a slew of events this month. There will also be a fishing tournament at East Fork Lake, a candlelight vigil and a country music concert. The intent is to turn Maupin's absence into something that will make a difference in the lives of other soldiers. That's exactly what his parents, Carolyn and Keith Maupin, have been doing for months at their Yellow Ribbon Support Center near the Eastgate Bigg's. The support center has sent out 2,000 packages to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan - more than 20 tons of food, snacks, games, books, toiletries and other items. "People still remember Matt," Carolyn Maupin said. E-mail rforgrave@enquirer.com |
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April 6, 2005 | |
BATAVIA, Ohio -- Right after "How ya doin'?" and before "Have a nice day," people in this southwest Ohio community are likely to ask, "Have you heard anything new about Matt?" Army Reserve Spc. Keith "Matt" Maupin, the only soldier the U.S. Army lists as captured in Iraq, has become part of the social fabric that binds this town of about 2,000 residents. Maupin, 21, has been missing since April 9, 2004, when his fuel truck convoy was ambushed by insurgents west of Baghdad. Yellow ribbons are fixtures in his hometown, fluttering from parking meters on Main Street. Businesses display signs in their windows, such as the one at Batavia Floral Design that reads, "Pray for Matt and all troops." "There's just so much support for the family," said Kathleen Blanchard, whose son was on the Glen Este High School wrestling team with Maupin's brother, Micah, a U.S. Marine. "Everybody's not given up." Blanchard's brother, a plumber who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator, stages occasional benefits for the Maupin family and the Yellow Ribbon Foundation that the soldier's mother, Carolyn Maupin, helped found. On the one-year anniversary of Maupin's disappearance, he'll perform a benefit at the American Legion hall in Mount Carmel. The next day, about 1,000 motorcyclists are |
