http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/30/us.iraq/index.html
Matt was an Army Reservist that was captured in Iraq in 2004 and for a long time was the only soldier still listed as missing. I live about a half mile away from the Maupin residence and although I didn't know him or the family, I feel a small connection since I was a reservist myself for 22 years and retired 3 months before his capture. When I joined in the 80s, the military was quite large and reservists/guard members were looked down on by some of our active duty counterparts, and in the cases of some reserve units that I saw and had the displeasure to inspect back then, rightly so. We were the extreme last line of defense - our chances of getting activated were very small and many reservists did not treat their duty with much respect. With the military's drawdown in size, the reserve components have taken on a greater importance in our national defense. Currently, the average reservist, who enlists for 6 years minimum, should now expect to be activated every 4 years.
Young men like Matt that have a full civilian life and yet know they have to sacrifice that at a moment's notice at risk of their life are truly heroic. Since his disappearance, there have been vigils held in our area on a regular basis. Most of the trees on our subdivision get new yellow ribbons placed on them every spring. My next door neighbor, who has an active duty son that has been to Iraq twice, has kept a candle in his window for Matt since his capture. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain the Maupin family has endured over the past 4 years. Please keep Matt's family in your thoughts and prayers tonight.
Matt was an Army Reservist that was captured in Iraq in 2004 and for a long time was the only soldier still listed as missing. I live about a half mile away from the Maupin residence and although I didn't know him or the family, I feel a small connection since I was a reservist myself for 22 years and retired 3 months before his capture. When I joined in the 80s, the military was quite large and reservists/guard members were looked down on by some of our active duty counterparts, and in the cases of some reserve units that I saw and had the displeasure to inspect back then, rightly so. We were the extreme last line of defense - our chances of getting activated were very small and many reservists did not treat their duty with much respect. With the military's drawdown in size, the reserve components have taken on a greater importance in our national defense. Currently, the average reservist, who enlists for 6 years minimum, should now expect to be activated every 4 years.
Young men like Matt that have a full civilian life and yet know they have to sacrifice that at a moment's notice at risk of their life are truly heroic. Since his disappearance, there have been vigils held in our area on a regular basis. Most of the trees on our subdivision get new yellow ribbons placed on them every spring. My next door neighbor, who has an active duty son that has been to Iraq twice, has kept a candle in his window for Matt since his capture. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain the Maupin family has endured over the past 4 years. Please keep Matt's family in your thoughts and prayers tonight.
