Let Us Never Forgit
Let Us Never Forget
Washington, DC - It has been two years since Sergeant Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin, an Army Reservist from Batavia, was captured in Baghdad when his convoy came under attack by Iraqi insurgents.
We will never forget that dark day as haunting images of Matt surrounded by his masked captors flashed on our television screens and covered our newspapers. That day changed everything for his parents, Keith and Carolyn, his brother Micah, his friends, his fellow soldiers and countless others.
But that day also united an entire community in prayer, patriotism and hope. Following the news of Matt's capture, the prayer services, rallies and patriotic events held throughout Southern Ohio filled the empty places we all felt in our hearts. We pinned yellow ribbons to our lapels and tied them around our doors and trees. Those yellow ribbons remain two years later because we will not give up hope.
But that was just the beginning. Since April 9, 2004, the Maupins have come to represent - not only to our community, but also for the entire nation - the face of hope, dedication, courage and patriotism. Their grief has empowered them to take action not only on behalf of their own son Matt, but the thousands of troops who are serving our country.
To commemorate the second anniversary of the capture of Matt, I recently addressed my colleagues on the House Floor. In my tribute, I told my colleagues about Matt's enormous commitment to the ideals of freedom and democracy, and I talked about what an extraordinary example the Maupin family is to all of us.
Keith and Carolyn Maupin lead the Yellow Ribbon Support Center in Clermont County. In addition to offering moral support and coordinating communication among families, the Center's dedicated volunteers collect non-perishable and personal care items for care packages that are sent to our military personnel serving abroad. Despite their continued heartache, Keith and Carolyn are dedicated to raising the morale of our troops through their work at the Center. In fact, they recently reported that they have sent more than 4,500 packages to our men and women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
To honor Matt on the second year after his capture, the Yellow Ribbon Support Center hosted a fundraising event called "Let us Never Forget." The proceeds from the dinner will go toward a fund that will award scholarships to area students in the names of local heroes who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Keith and Carolyn established this fund, called the April 9th Scholarship Fund, as a meaningful way to remember and honor the sacrifices made by our soldiers and their families. To date, we have lost 33 brave heroes from our area.
I believe the search efforts for Matt Maupin are as strong as ever. When I was in Iraq earlier this year, one of my main objectives was to sit down face to face with senior military officials to talk about Matt. I was given a few minutes alone with General George Casey and other military officials about the ongoing search efforts for him, and based on what I heard in this meeting, I feel confident in our military's ongoing efforts to find Matt. I will do everything in my power to make sure the search efforts continue.
President Bush has also assured us that everything possible is being done to continue the search for Matt. He has met with the Maupins on several occasions to discuss the situation - most recently on April 3.
While Matt remains the only soldier missing-captured since the war started in March of 2003, he has a courageous family, loving friends and a caring community that will never forget, and will never give up hope.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh02_schmidt/maupin.html