[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     STAFF SERGEANT MATTHEW MAUPIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to offer my sincere 
condolences to the family of Staff Sergeant Keith Matthew Maupin. 
Yesterday, Keith and Carolyn Maupin learned that the United States Army 
had positively identified the remains found last week in Iraq as that 
of their son, Matt Maupin. After nearly 4 years of suffering the 
torment of not knowing the status of their missing son, I pray that 
this news may bring some closure to the Maupins and allow them to begin 
to mourn their loss and celebrate the life that Matt lived.
  Keith Matthew Maupin was born in Batavia, Ohio, on July 13, 1983, and 
was a student at Glen Este High School in Union Township, Clermont 
County, Ohio, where he played football and was a rower on the county's 
high school crew team. Matt graduated in 2001 and enrolled in the 
University of Cincinnati's Aerospace Engineering Program. He joined the 
United States Army Reserve in 2002, attending basic training at Fort 
Jackson, South Carolina, and completed his advanced individual training 
at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in the spring of 2003.
  After completing his training, Matt continued his studies at the 
University of Cincinnati while fulfilling his obligations as an Army 
reservist. In November 2003, Matt received orders to transfer to the 
recently mobilized 724th Transportation Company based out of 
Bartonville, Illinois. Matt and the 724th arrived in Kuwait on February 
20, 2004. The following month Matt's unit was moved to the Logistics 
Support Center Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, to begin missions delivering 
fuel to various coalition bases.
  On April 9, 2004, Matt's convoy was ambushed near Baghdad 
International Airport. The convoy came under fire from small arms, 
RPGs, and mortar fire. When the convoy was able to move clear of the 
attack, it was found that nine people were unaccounted for. Later, five 
civilians and one soldier were found dead, presumed to have been killed 
during the ambush. One civilian driver had been taken hostage during 
the ambush but managed to escape his captors a few weeks later. Matt 
and one civilian contractor remained missing.
  On April 16, 2004, Matt appeared in a videotaped broadcast aired on 
al Jazeera television surrounded by his armed captors. During the brief 
interview, Matt identified himself as Private First Class Keith Matthew 
Maupin. From that day forward, Matt's status was listed as a prisoner 
of war. And the men and women of the Armed Forces, as well as those 
from various Federal agencies, worked tirelessly to find Matt and 
secure his return.
  The Army has a creed. And within that creed there are four stanzas 
referred to as the warrior's ethos. This ethos is the standard by which 
all soldiers conduct themselves. They read as follows:
  I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I 
will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.
  I believe that it was these four stanzas that directed and guided the 
search for Matt. The mission was to find Matt and return him to his 
family. I thank Secretary Gates, Secretary Geren, General George Casey, 
General Petraeus, and all the leaders in the Multi National Forces-Iraq 
and Joint Special Forces Command for making the mission of finding Matt 
the number one priority in this Nation. I also think it's important 
that we thank all the soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen who 
patrolled the streets of Iraq every day refusing to accept defeat, 
refusing to quit, and refusing to leave behind our fallen Matt.
  I would also like to thank General Jim Campbell, recently retired, 
who visited with the Maupins on numerous occasions, providing them with 
updates on the status of the search for Matt. I would also like to 
thank Major General Galen Jackman and Joe Guzowski for their efforts to 
keep me informed on the details of their search.
  It has been almost 4 years since Matt went missing in Iraq, and 
through the joint efforts of all these extraordinary people, Matt can 
finally come home. As Matt's father told me, ``Matt is coming home. He 
has completed his mission.'' My thoughts and prayers are with his 
family and his friends. Their torment is replaced with a broken heart, 
and I ask this Nation to pray that that heart is healed.
  May God bless Matt and Matt's family, and may Matt rest in peace.

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