Keeping hope alive

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | December 11, 2005 | Robin Acton

[Lecie]

Keeping hope alive

By Robin Acton

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Sunday, December 11, 2005

CINCINNATI -- One by one, Carolyn Maupin pulled snowmen and dusty yellow ribbons from the Christmas tree that has stood between the living room and dining room of her tiny ranch home since last year.

After so many months, she had to redecorate it. She's not sure when, but a while back, the lights fizzled out, leaving branches dark beneath the ornaments and angels and flags sent with prayers from people she's never met.

If prayers and yellow ribbons could bring him home, her son, Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin would open his presents -- shirts and a book -- that have been under the tree for a year. And then he'd sleep, safely, under a gray plaid comforter with a belly full of his favorite foods, like Chinese stir fry and thick-sliced ham.

Matt Maupin, 22, a soldier with the Army's 724th Transportation Company based in Bartonville, Ill., has been missing since April 9, 2004. That day, after just six weeks in Iraq, the reservist was captured by insurgents who used rocket-propelled grenades to ambush the civilian fuel convoy he was guarding.

When they took him, just west of Baghdad, he became the only American soldier listed as captured in the Iraq war.

But he could be any mother's son.

[Lecie]

While we are all out lighting, tinseling, caroling ,buying, wrapping and purple finger of freedoming can we at least put a card in the mail to the Maupins and say a few prayers for this family and its son Sgt. Matt Maupin ?

http://www.yellowribbonsupportcenter.com/index.htm

Yellow Ribbon Support Center

700 South Eastgate Blvd

Suite 230

Cincinnati, Ohio..45245

[chgomac]

Thank you for posting this....Matt is not forgotten. He has my prayers for courage and hope.