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Maupin’s parents thank supporters at parade

CINCINNATI — Parents who learned this weekend that their soldier son’s remains were found in Iraq nearly four years after his capture by insurgents rode as planned in a parade Monday observing opening day of the baseball season.

Matt Maupin’s parents plan to continue using his name to promote their scholarship fund for children of veterans and the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, which has sent thousands of care packages to soldiers.

“It was important to be here to let everyone know that we thank them for their support and their love of our family and for standing by Matt as they are today,” Carolyn Maupin said.

Despite a light rain, the Maupins rode in an open convertible and were greeted with applause and cheers all along the parade route.

“That touched my heart,” Carolyn Maupin said. “I don’t think they’ll forget him.”

The Defense Department issued a terse statement Monday announcing an official change in status from missing-captured to deceased. There were no details of how and when Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin — known as Matt — died or where his remains were found.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed sympathy.

“This has been especially difficult for the Maupin family because of not knowing for almost exactly four years. So I want to extend my condolences,” Gates told reporters on a flight from Brussels, Belgium, to Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Maupins had lobbied hard for the Army to continue searching for their son and to continue listing him as missing-captured, fearing that another designation would undermine efforts to find him.

They received regular briefings at the Pentagon, and President Bush met with them whenever he visited Cincinnati.

“I don’t think anybody in the Army truly knew how to deal with us,” Keith Maupin said after a three-star general brought him and Carolyn the news on Sunday. He told people at the Pentagon that he would hold them accountable for getting their son home, whether he lived or died.

“They did their job, and we did ours,” he said.

The Army didn’t tell the Maupins how or where in Iraq their son’s remains were discovered, only that the identification was made with DNA testing, Maupin said. The discovery of a shirt worn by soldiers at the time Matt was captured helped the Army focus its search.

“After a long wait, we want to offer our most sincere condolences to Carolyn and Keith Maupin on the loss of their son,” Army Secretary Pete Geren said. “I want to say this once again to the families of our other captured soldiers in Iraq: We will not stop searching for your loved ones.”

Four U.S. service members remain missing in Iraq: Capt. Michael Speicher, a Navy pilot, has been missing since the 1991 Persian Gulf War; Army Sgt. Ahmed al-Taie, a 41-year-old Iraqi-born reservist from Ann Arbor, Mich., was abducted while visiting his Iraqi wife in October 2006 in Baghdad; and Pfc. Byron Fouty and Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez have been missing since May 12, 2007.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey thanked the soldiers who search for the missing men.

“One of the elements of the Army’s Soldiers Creed is that I will never leave a fallen comrade,” he said. “We take those words very seriously, for our soldiers, their families and this nation.”

Matt Maupin was a 20-year-old private first class when he was captured April 9, 2004, after his fuel convoy, part of the Bartonville, Ill.-based 724th Transportation Company, was ambushed west of Baghdad.

A week later, the Arab television network Al-Jazeera aired a videotape showing Maupin wearing camouflage and a floppy desert hat, sitting on the floor surrounded by five masked men holding automatic rifles.

That June, Al-Jazeera aired another tape purporting to show a U.S. soldier being shot. But the dark and grainy tape showed only the back of the victim’s head and not the execution.

Keith Maupin still is not convinced that was his son. But if it was, at least it ended his suffering, his dad said.

“If that was Matt, I consider that’s what God wanted and they couldn’t hurt Matt for a long time,” Maupin said Sunday. “It just took them a long time to find him.”

A month after his capture, Matt Maupin was promoted to the rank of specialist. In April 2005, he was promoted to sergeant.

The Maupins intend to keep their son’s name and photo before the public. Asked why they would take part in the parade while grieving, Keith Maupin said, “Our mission continues.”

An annual dinner on the anniversary of his capture will be held as usual April 9 to finance a scholarship program for children of veterans and for the Yellow Ribbon Support Center.

Geren said the Maupins collect truckloads of gifts and supplies.

“The Maupins are people of modest means with great big hearts, and they’ve touched the lives of thousands,” he said.

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Remains of soldier found 4 years after capture