Don’t forget Matt Maupin

Here at GraniteGrok, we cannot express enough our gratitude to the men and women of our armed forces, both past and present. Within that group, unfortunately, lies those who are often overlooked in big "scheme" of things– the missing. You know, those unfortunate soldiers whose whereabouts, for a whole host of reasons and circumstances, remain unsolved. This is a problem that, while not having originated then, seemed to gain some attention during the Viet Nam War. We see the black memorial flags in many places– The "POW/MIA" banner. Unfortunately, while the symbol is in some abundance, the actual thought and care given to the soldiers it represents is not.

Here in Meredith NH, there has been a vigil to honor such forgotten servicemen for as long as I can remember. This is wholley thanks to the dedication of a retired member of the service, Mr. Bob Jones. In concert with his actions for the POW/MIA cause, he has been supportive in the quest to solve the case of missing Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin. Part of that involves the dissemination of information so that as many people as possible know about Matt, hopefully causing the US government to use all means necessary to solve thise case and find him. Mr. Jones forwarded this week’s column by Gordon Dillow in the Orange County Register, who writes about Maupin.

Keith Maupin of Batavia, Ohio, wants to extend a plea to the people of Orange County. It’s the same plea he would like to have heard in every city and town in America.

Please remember my son, he says. Please don’t forget my son.

Keith is the father of Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin, who was captured by insurgents in Iraq on April 9, 2004, after his truck convoy was attacked near Baghdad. Although a number of U.S. civilians are officially listed as missing in Iraq, and an Iraqi-born American Army translator, Spc. Ahmed Altaie, 41, was apparently kidnapped in October while visiting family members in Baghdad, 23-year-old Matt Maupin is the only American soldier still officially listed as "missing/captured" in combat in Iraq since the war began in 2003.

There is no doubt that he was taken alive. A week after his capture, insurgents released a video showing Matt Maupin surrounded by masked gunmen. Two months later insurgents announced through Arab news media that Maupin had been shot in the head, but a review of a grainy videotape of the alleged execution didn’t support the claim that it was Matt, or even that it was a real execution.

Click here to read the entire column. Mr. Dillow has been extended an invite to appear on our radio program, "Meet the New Press", to discuss this issue. We hope he accepts and will link any interview on the GraniteGrok podcast page.

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