Matt Maupin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) |
| Keith Matthew Maupin | |
|---|---|
| July 13 1983 – c . 2004 | |
 |
|
| Nickname | Matt |
| Place of birth | Batavia, Ohio |
| Place of death | unknown |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 2002 — death (exact date of death unknown) |
| Rank |  Staff Sergeant |
| Unit | U.S. Army Reserves, 724th Transportation Company |
| Battles/wars | Post-invasion Iraq |
| Awards |  Bronze Star Purple Heart Meritorious Service POW Good Conduct MedalAncient Order of St. Christopher |
Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin (born July 13 1983, died c. 2004) was a United States Army Private First Class (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, Arabic-language television network Al Jazeera aired a low-quality video purportedly depicting Maupin's execution. On June 30, 2004, an Army spokesman said the video was "totally inconclusive."[1]
His body was found in late March 2008, but confirmation was not made until March 30, 2008 in Iraq.[2][3]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born on July 13 1983 in Batavia, Ohio, Maupin was a student at Glen Este High School in Union Township, Clermont County, Ohio. He graduated in 2001. In 2002 he joined the United States Army Reserve and was stationed with the 705th Transportation Company based in Dayton, Ohio.
[edit] Deployment
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)[4]. By the time he had completed training in spring 2003, the 705th Transportation Company had deployed to Iraq, and Maupin was assigned to the 643rd Area Support Group out of Whitehall, Ohio.
In November 2003, Maupin was transferred to the recently mobilized 724th Transportation Company based out of Bartonville, Illinois. Maupin and the 724th TC arrived in Kuwait on February 20, 2004 and on March 5 proceeded to Logistics Support Area Anaconda, Iraq, with the 7th Transportation Battalion, 172nd Corps Support Group, 13th Corps Support Command, to begin missions delivering fuel to various coalition installations.
[edit] Capture
Associated Press / Al Jazeera
On April 9 2004, Maupin's fuel convoy came under attack near the Baghdad International Airport. In what was described as a 5-mile (8.0 km)-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, SPC Gregory Goodrich, 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.
On April 16 2004, Maupin appeared on a videotape that was broadcast by the Arabic-language television 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 that protects their rights under the Third Geneva Convention.
On June 28 2004, Al Jazeera reported that Maupin was executed by a group identifying itself as The Persistent Power Against the Enemies of God and the Prophet. The method of execution in the video was a gunshot to the head. The U.S. Army deemed the tape inconclusive, because it is unclear whether the man was Maupin. [1]
[edit] Search for Maupin
The Clermont County community, friends of Maupin's family, and Clermont High School Crew raised funds and received donations to build a memorial pavilion in his honor at the finish line of the rowing race course on Harsha Lake Beach, East Fork State Park, Bethel, Ohio.
Maupin was promoted three times after being declared missing in action, resulting in the rank of Staff Sergeant.
[edit] Body found
On March 30 2008, Maupin's father told local newsmedia that the remains of his son had been found. He states that an Army general had told him that DNA was used to identify the remains.[5] According to an Army statement, Maupin's remains "were recovered northwest of Baghdad on March 20, by soldiers from 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry, based out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, attached to 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment."[6] The unit called the recovery effort "Operation Trojan Honor", after the mascot of Maupin's high school, Glen Este.[7] A tip from an Iraqi citizen led to the recovery of Maupin's remains.[8] Two Iraqis who were reportedly involved in Maupin's capture and death have been tried for other crimes and sentenced to death by Iraqi courts.
A memorial was held in Cincinnati, OH on April 27, 2008 in Great American Ball Park. Maupin was laid to rest at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Cincinnati, OH on April 27, 2008 while surrounded by a group of close family and friends.
[edit] Death of insurgent leader
On November 20, 2008 US military forces in Iraq said that they had killed the al-Qaeda in Iraq insurgent leader responsible for Maupin's kidnapping and death. The US said that Hammadi Awdah Abd Farhan was shot and killed on November 11 during a raid on his house in Baghdad by US military forces. The military statement said that Farhan was the "emir," or leader, of al-Qaeda in Iraq in the Karmah and Abu Ghraib areas west of Baghdad.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Forgrave, Reid (2004-08-10). "Video is 'inconclusive': Military says tape too dark, grainy to tell if Maupin is victim". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio: Gannett Company). http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/10/loc_loc1amaupin.html.
- ^ "Remains of Matt Maupin Identified". Cincinnati, Ohio: WLW-AM. 2008-03-30. http://www.700wlw.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119585&article=3472360.
- ^ "Body found of Ohio soldier missing in Iraq". CNN.com (Atlanta, Georgia: CNN). 2008-03-30. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/30/us.iraq/.
- ^ US Army Info Site: MOS 88M: Motor Transport Operator
- ^ Gebolys, Debbie (2008-03-30). "Ohio soldier's remains found, father says". The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio: Dispatch Printing Company). http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/30/maupin.html.
- ^ Kettler, Shannon (2008-03-31). "New Details On Recovery Of Matt Maupin's Remains". WCPO.com (Cincinnati, Ohio: WCPO-TV). http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=93a756ec-1630-4fdc-be7d-9afc4f6e7368&rss=703.
- ^ Kettler, Shannon (2008-04-05). "'Operation Trojan Honor:' Finding Matt Maupin". WCPO.com (Cincinnati, Ohio: WCPO-TV). http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=a6d0354e-ba9b-4ccb-87fe-204c95b69339.
- ^ Kissel, Margo Rutledge (2008-04-01). "Tip From Local Iraqi Leads To Recovery Of Army Reservist Maupin's Remains". Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio: Cox Enterprises): p. 1. http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/03/31/ddn033108maupinweb.html.
- ^ Sheridan, Mary Beth, "Iraqi Insurgent Leader Killed In Gun Battle, Military Says", Washington Post, November 21, 2008, p. 15.
[edit] External links
- Matt's Mothers web site
- Yellow Ribbon Support Center
- Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin – created by Matt Maupin's Father
- A Soldier's Prayer by An Exercise In Free Will – inspired by Matt Maupin
- Thompson, Mark (2005-02-14). "Where is Matt Maupin". Time (Time Inc.). http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1027512,00.html.
- "Kidnapped U.S. contractor found safe". CNN.com (Atlanta, Georgia: CNN). 2004-05-02. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/02/iraq.main/.
- Kettler, Shannon (2004-11-09). "Matt Maupin's Parents Talk About Their Ordeal". WCPO.com (Cincinnati, Ohio: WCPO-TV). http://old.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/11/09/maupin_late.html.
- "Insurgents captured soldiers". CNN.com (Atlanta, Georgia: CNN). 2006-06-17. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/17/soldiers.missing/.
- "3 Years Later, Parents of Soldier Missing From Iraq Still Hold Out Hope for Safe Return". FOXNews.com (Associated Press) (Fox News Channel). 2007-04-09. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,264888,00.html.
