Matt Maupin

I spent a long time in Iraq, and now it’s tough for me to read the news some days. I still have loved ones and friends who are my military family over there. And so when I saw the headlines saying that an Ohio soldier’s remains were identified, it was one of those times when I couldn’t click on the link.

It’s for the same reason I only watch happy movies and TV shows right now, I guess. I’ve had a whole lot of negative going on, including “boyfriend in Iraq” stuff, so reading the news there can be pretty grim on a personal level.

So when I finally did click on the link and found that it was Matt Maupin’s remains, I rocked back on my heels.

You see, back in Iraq, I ran a Matt Maupin computer lab, so the troops could contact home. We had three of them on base at Anaconda, and they were the most popular places there. And they were all possible, because Matt’s parents donated the computers themselves.

That’s right. In the middle of worrying over their son who was missing in action, the Maupins pulled together nearly 90 desktop computers and monitors and shipped them to Iraq. And the troops used the hell out of those machines.

Every monitor displayed Matt’s picture on the backdrop. Every computer lab bore his name. Every soldier who logged on remembered “gone but not forgotten.”

I can’t imagine that will change, either.

Peace be with you, Matt Maupin, and with your family as well.