What has happened to our country? Why must we fuck up a good thing? Why can we celebrate what this hero has done for us? We may not see it in our towns and fellow citizens. Look into your cold dead hearts and that little bit of warmth in there is there because of men and women just like Matt. So forget the politics and just look at what the families of these fallen soldiers have gone through. What if it had been your father, your mother, husband, wife, brother, sister?? What if it was them? How would you feel? Where are the ticker-tape parades and the celebrating when our soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors come home? Why do they get hate and protesting? What have we become?
Think about it
I try to keep my work as professional without
discussing religion or politics until this past week,
everybody is entitled to their own opinion
but I just can't seem to understand some people.
Many people were complaining about Matt Maupin
saying that the media and the Tri state is making too big deal
out of his body coming home and that he is receiving too much attention.
I was beside myself as I found myself dipping
into many conversations this past week.
One of the conversations was about the Firefighters
that had recently died in a fire, they were complaining
about how their heroism should have been recognized more.
With showing no disrespect to the Firefighters
they chose that line of work they and there families
were fully aware of the risk involved in doing their job.
If a Firefighter was captured and put on display
for the whole country to watch, then brutally murdered
and their body was put in a ditch somewhere
not to be found for four years then they would also deserve
the respect and honor as Matt Maupin does.
People were complaining saying that they didn't do
all this for the other fallen solider's from the tri state area
and that they shouldn't name a part of the highway after Matt Maupin.
I say...
Who was Ezzard Charles?
Who was Martin Luther King Jr. ?
Who was Ronald Reagan?
Who is Pete Rose ?
These were all men who made an impact
in our community or in our country in one way or another .
The Tri state chose to name streets or highways
after these men because of who they were and what they stood for.
Who was Matt Maupin?
Matt was a 20 year old local young man who enrolled
in the University of Cincinnati Aerospace Engineering Program
using a scholarship that he received from winning a writing competition.
He joined the Army Reserves and worked
at a Sam's Club warehouse store,
shortly after his arrival in Iraq his convoy was ambushed
and he was captured by Iraqi insurgents.
He was the first MIA of this terrible war
and was made an example by the terrorist televising
a world wide video of him being held hostage alive
after one week of his disappearance.
One week later releasing another video
supposedly of his execution,
his body remained unaccounted for four years.
After four months of his capture and while
Matt's whereabouts remained a mystery,
his parents chose to make their son's face unforgettable
by founding a non profit organization,
The Yellow Ribbon Support Center,
so they could help other military men and women serving overseas.
The Yellow Ribbon Support Center
has sent 6,500 care packages and I forget the number
of laptops to our Troops in Iraq since 2004
and has set up a scholarship fund in Matt's name.
Matt's parents took something
that was so negative in their life,
turned it into something so positive.
While in the meantime getting Matt's face out there on
buttons and stickers and posters so their son was never forgotten
and so the military would find their son one way or another.
They didn't do this to become popular
or to get rich it was a pure act of patriotism and love for their son.
I proudly wore Matt's picture
and a little yellow ribbon pin on my shirt
through out the four years of his missing,
I didn't know him personally but I knew what his face stood for.
After 911 occurred I use to get so touched
while driving down the local highway seeing all the cars
with an American flag hanging out their window flapping in the wind.
Driving in the local neighborhood looking at the many houses
that proudly had signs saying "God Bless the USA"
hanging by an American flag.
The flags no longer flap in the wind,
for they became weathered and torn over the years
and most of the houses became bare showing little if any support.
Where is our patriotism at now ?
A local young man,a neighbor or a friend
unknowingly sacrificed his life for our freedom,
his family and he deserves the respect and the honor
and we as their neighbors should be proud to call their son our hero!
While driving home from work last night
I noticed that the fence on both sides of State route 32
was decorated with red and yellow Dixie cups,
they were pushed into the fence and shaped as a candle.
There was American flags
and hand made signs by local children.
At the light I turned around
and paused for a moment of reflection,
realizing with a sense of pride that this was part
of the path that was lighting the way
to bring our hero back to his home.
The place where his body will come to rest...
I wonder what if this was your son,
your brother,your nephew
or your husband ?
Would you let your hands be idle ?
or would you do everything possible
so that their face would not be forgotten!
Life will go on for all of us as we normally do...
Matt Maupin's name will become a part of our history,
not because he was Cincinnati's
only World Heavyweight Boxing Champion,
or an American clergymen and one of the principal leaders
of the American civil rights movements.
He was not a president
of the United States or a Cincinnati baseball player,
he was a soldier that represented our freedom
that we live and breathe everyday.
I got several peoples input on writing this,
one person told me that I was the voice of many...
I think that I'm one voice of the many people
who has not forgotten and Matt Maupin is the face of all.
~Cyndi Franckhauser
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