Matt Maupin: The Last Post

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them."

'For the Fallen' by Laurence Binyon

I Never Met Him

But I knew him.

Lived about 15 miles from where I live. Southwest Ohio. A mix of small town farms and businesses. He was like many other young men around here. Grew up playing soccer, football, hanging out, fishing, dreaming of a wonderful life to come - and working hard to achieve that dream.

Was enrolled in the University of Cincinnati Aerospace Engineering Program, using a scholarship he'd received from winning a writing competition. Worked at Sam's Club to help pay for college. But anyone being within a continent (or planet) of the U.S. knows how expensive college is now. So, this young man joined the U.S. Army Reserves to further help with college costs.

He was stationed with the 705th Transportation Company based in Dayton, Ohio... until his unit was mobilized for Iraq.

I Never Met His Parents

But I know them.

They're like so many other parents in this rural part of Ohio - or were, until their son's convoy was ambushed on April 9, 2004 en route to Baghdad International Airport. Their son was taken prisoner. He was 20 years old. Born July 13, 1983.

His Name was Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin

His parents last live image of him? A videotape broadcast on April 16, 2004, by the Arabic-language TV network Al Jazeera.

In the video, the soldier identified himself as "Private First Class Keith Matthew Maupin," a standard procedure followed by prisoners of war. It's supposed to help protect their rights under the Third Geneva Convention. Supposed to.



War is brutal. Vicious. Ugly. Mean.

Death or capture can happen at any minute. It's a risk and fear all soldiers know. Matt Maupin knew it too. But bravery, courage, belief in yourself and your country help overcome this fear.

Vanished

Matt grew up in a quickly vanishing part of America - where serving your country is not a bad thing. It's an honor. And honorable. Like that quickly vanishing part of America... Matt Maupin vanished too.

For four years his parents searched, prayed, galvanized the community, did everything they could to try to find their son. For four years they held out hope. I watched their struggles on local TV. They never, ever, gave up.

Medieval Evil - جَبان

But the enemies of this war are not like Americans. Or most humans. The Geneva Convention? Right. It only applies if they're captured. They are medieval cowardly pigs that slaughter prisoners in captivity. The worst kind of putrid satanic wretches. A special place in an eternal hell is reserved for them.

Matt Maupin's body was found and identified last week. His bodily remains are being shipped home. There are no words that can really describe the pain and grief his family is going through. Abraham Lincoln came as close to it as anyone:

" I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

- Abraham Lincoln

Take a look at this young man. He could be your son, or mine. Your brother, or mine. Your friend, or mine.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I hope our military tracks down the cowardly pig-dogs that executed Matt Maupin, string them upside down from a bridge and slow roast them with flame-throwers.

But we won't. We're Americans.

They cherish death. We cherish life.

They strap bombs on children. We send our children to save theirs.

They kill for cartoons. We die to free them from hatred, oppression and tyranny.

They saw off our heads. We make sure they have air conditioned cells with better living conditions than they've ever experienced before.

They string us upside down from bridges, burn our corpses and dance with joy as they see planes fly into our buildings, killing thousands of innocent men, women and children.

Deja Mein Kampf Vu All Over Again

Recognize evil. That's what this is. Unadulterated. Mocking. In your face.

Stop it, or be prepared to be consumed by Nazi-fied furnaces fired by their medieval excremental vision.

Where Have You Gone General George Patton?

The nation needs you more than you can know. But men like General Patton don't, can't exist anymore. They've been exterminated by cowardly political correctness.

They've vanished.

Like America is vanishing.

Like Matt vanished.

To this fine young man, Matt Maupin, working two jobs to help pay for college, who was the same age as my son, going to the same college as my son, I pay tribute and add to the eternal "Last Post" list of ...

The Loved and Lost

Fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, wives, husbands, cousins, nephews, nieces, all.
They passed on not by accident, not by bodily deterioration brought on by the mean ravages of time, but because they had a special job.

A job that ended a too-brief sojourn on this blue-green magical wonder called earth.

A job they chose.

So Costly a Sacrifice

They were American soldiers.

A step ahead.

A step behind.

A look left, instead of right.

Right, instead of left.

Up instead of down.

Down instead of up.

A blink of the eye at the wrong time.

Then... life was over.

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. Crowfoot, Native American Blackfoot warrior and orator

Life. Over. Gone.

So quick.

So quick.

Where did it go?

It was the fleeting flash of a firefly in the night … gone.

But not.

Their undiminishable light echoes eternally throughout the music of the spheres like heavenly bagpipes playing Amazing Grace … across the unfathomable unknowable on their way to The Last Post.

Fireflies in the night, shadows that ran across the grass riding a Sonata of Moonlight on an Ode to Joy - to living, giving and life.

End:

For more information, or to help in anyway you can, please visit the Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin official website, hosted by Keith and Carolyn Maupin (Matt's Mom and Dad), and the Yellow Ribbon Support Center.