Sgt. Matt Maupin - Missing Over One Year

Compiled from a report by Major Patricia C. Anderson, Command Information Officer: In early April 2004, terrorist insurgents ambushed a fuel convoy west of Baghdad which was manned by Halliburton employees and U.S. Army soldiers from the 724th Transportation Company. Over half of the convoy detail of more than 40 individuals were killed or wounded. Three were captured, two Halliburton employees, Timothy Bell and Thomas Hamill, and one soldier, Private First Class Kenneth Matthew "Matt" Maupin.

A week after the ambush, on April 16, Al-Jazeera aired a video showing a presumably uninjured Matt Maupin surrounded by five masked men with automatic weapons. Maupin was positively identified in the video. On June 28, Al-Jazeera aired another video purportedly showing Maupin being shot and then being pushed into a grave. The quality of the video was, however, of such poor quality that neither the military nor Maupin's parents were convinced that the man was Matt Maupin.

Based upon available information, the U.S. Army has classified Maupin as "missing-captured" and it intends to find him. One Halliburton employee, Thomas Hamill, escaped from his captors after 24 days and returned to the U.S. Authorities also continue to search for Timothy Bell, the other Halliburton employee captured during the ambush.

For the U.S. military, Brig Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, Chief of Army Public Affairs, stated:

"I want to make sure everyone is clear about this - we do not abandon our comrades. We will not abandon Matt Maupin, or his family."

"While Matt is in a captured status the operational commands keep looking for anything that would lead them to him. We cannot, and must not, detail those efforts, but we are certain at the Department of the Army that the operational commanders are active. Remember that Soldiers live by an ethos that includes an all-important tenet -- 'I will never leave a fallen comrade.'"

Last Friday, a routine board of inquiry met to review recently-promoted Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin's status. The board recommended that Maupin continue to be listed as "missing-captured" and, according to U.S. Army spokeswoman Shari Lawrence, their recommendation was subsequently approved by the adjutant general. As such, the Maupin family's fears that the search for Matt would be abandoned have been allayed -- for now.

Given the fact that the mainstream broadcast, cable, and print media rarely mention captured and kidnapped Americans, it's quite understandable that the Maupin family fears that the search for their son will be abandoned. The MSM have provided scant information and no emphasis. Obviously, public pressure for more strident action in finding missing Americans won't ever occur if the public isn't informed.

Roy Hallums - Missing Since November

Also missing is Roy Hallums. He was kidnapped last November from his residence in Baghdad where he was working as a civilian contractor. The MSM completely ignored the Hallums abduction, however, The Jawa Report and others have been diligently keeping the story alive. Notably, Rusty Shackleford's efforts to track and keep current on all those missing is commendable. At present, The Jawa Report continues ongoing stories about the missing military and civilian personnel in addition to Part 1 of an interview featuring Roy Hallums ex-wife, Susan. Go visit and note the linkage.

After people wade through and filter out the abundant chaff on the Internet, they will find a sense of conscience in the blogosphere. Whenever a grievous error or evil is detected and announced, bloggers race to become involved and highlight the injustice. It's not organized nor programmed nor scheduled. Rather, it's seamless, it's spontaneous and, to the chagrin of the MSM, it's frequently effective. For the sake of the families and friends of Matt Maupin, Roy Hallums, Timothy Bell, and others, the blogosphere must step up and keep their stories alive.

[Update] Part 2 of the Susan Hallums interview has been posted. One thing that's apparent is that demands for the release of the missing men have not been accompanied with any sort of public outcry. The MSM can be faulted for keeping the issue somewhat hidden, but that doesn't explain why the 'so-called' human rights organizations haven't shouted for accountability. Think about it. The Red Cross, the ACLU, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and many others, are infected splinters in the backside when it comes to the U.S. military, but are narcoleptic puppy dogs when it comes to the enemies of America.