Here is a transcript of the Kieth Maupin interview on yesterday's Bill Cunningham show:
WILLIE: Billy Cunningham, we are endeavoring to track down, uh, Kieth Maupin, is that correct? We think we have him. It won't be long. And then we'll have him on to talk about Operation: Yellow Ribbon and what they are doing in Clermont County to help trackdown the whereabouts of Matt Maupin, held hostage somewhere in Iraq, taken prisoner about two years ago by the insurgents. And ever since then Kieth and Carolyn Maupin have kept the faith with their son and are working hard -- one of the bestthings they do is send over care tickets; they send over boxes filled with goodies to American soldiers and they include in each box about 30 photographs of their son, Matt. So that those photographs are passed around Iraq as insurgent stronghold after insurgent stronghold is folded up, hopefully in one of those strongholds we're gonna have, uh, the live, uh, person and character of Matt Maupin. Joing me now is Kieth Maupin. Kieth, welcome again to the Bill Cunningham show.
KIETH: How ya doing, Willie?
WILLIE: Good. How long is that beard getting?
KIETH: About ten inches. (Laughs) It keeps breaking off, you know.
WILLIE: And you're not going to shave until you hug your boy.
KIETH: That's a fact.
WILLIE: Let's talk about Yellow Ribbon support. What is happening in Clermont County and what can we do to help?
KIETH: Well, you didn't show up yesterday, Billy. I have to tell ya...
WILLIE: Well, I didn't say I'd be there but I said I would support, but anyway, what happened yesterday?
KIETH: I tell ya what, Willie, that was great. There was over a thousand people came there...
WILLIE: Wonderful.
KIETH: ...to help support the fallen soldiers. You know, we're going to give them a scholarship to the school of their choice. That way, their name will be remembered one more time.
WILLIE: The support for the scholarship was among two dozen families of servicemen who had lost their lives including John Pyrzinski of Hamilton was one of the attendees. He lost his 20 year old son, Taylor Pyrzinski, a Marine who was killed in action in Iraq. One of the things I saw in the news is something you are doing, you and Carolyn are doing, which I think is wonderful. Talk about, uh, sending over care pakages and what you do to spread the word about Matt.
KIETH: Well, we send a lot of the care pakages over and what we do is we put 10 pictures of Matt in each box that we send. And inside there, we've got a little note that's, uh, that tells them that this is Matt and he's captured over there and to keep an eye out for him. And on the back of those things, we have a sticker that says, "Pray for me, I'm captured in Iraq. And prayers will set me free."
WILLIE: What is the latest you've heard from Congressman Schmidt or Rob Portman or the Bush administration? I saw you on television, you and your wife gave the President a hug the other day when he came here for Reds Opening Day. What is the latest you've heard?
KIETH: Well, we know that they're looking for him. There's a lot of people over there looking for him. And they (the politicians - MATT) have a lot of reach over there. I know that, uh, Preswident Bush said that they're not gonna forget him. Mattr of fact, I think we talked to Rob Portman this morning.
WILLIE: What happened?
KIETH: He called. He said, "I just want to let you guys know that you're still in our thoughts and prayers. We're not going to let him forget him. He's no longer in that business, but he can still have a lot of reach.
WILLIE: Is Jeannie Schmidt helping you at this point?
KIETH: She, uh, she went over to Iraq to make sure that those guys was looking for him. She come back and told us that they're looking for Matt. She ate lunch or dinner with a couple of soldiers from the area that wa slooking for Matt.
WILLIE: As far as having hope over the past two years, uh, he was taken captive on or about April the 9th, 2004. It has been little over two years and one day. Is there -- Have there been any sightings? Have there been any communications? Anything of that character?
KIETH: No, they haven't been able to find anything. And we've talked to some that have come back that it was their job to look for Matt and they said it is just so frustrating. We can't find nothing. But they will follow every lead. I don't care how small it is, they will follow that lead until they can't find it no more.
WILLIE: How's the Pentagon been doing in the area of communication with you in Carolyn relative to Matt. Have they been a little better recently over the past year and a half?
KIETH: Well, I know they've been better over the last couple a three months because they call every Friday whether they have any update or whatever. They just -- We just need to make sure that we keep the communications open with the guys up there in the Pentagon.
WILLIE: That's important.
KIETH: Yessir.
WILLIE: When is the next fundraining event or when is the next thing you're going to get together with the Yellow Ribbon people?
KIETH: I don't know when the next one is, but I'll let you know. We'll pass the word on it.
WILLIE: You pass the word and I'll be your Big Mouthpiece and get the word out. Godspeed and good luck to you and give Carolyn a hugh and I pray and I know that one day Matt will come home. We had hostages kept in parts of Lebanon for seven-eight-nine years and suddnely they walked out and nobody knew where they came from or where they've been and I have every confidence in the world that one day you are going to shave that beard and that you boy is going to come home to you in Clermont County.
KIETH: I can't promise you that I'll shave it becaue Carolyn said, "Now - (unintelligible) - you're gonna cut it. I don't want to see your face. You're just gonna cut it down to where it used to be.
WILLIE: She wants you to take off a couple of inches.
KIETH: Oh yeah, and she said, Willie, you know, good things come in threes. And we've already had two so we're waiting for the big one.
WILLIE: Kieth, you're the man. Godspeed and best wishes to you and yours.
KIETH: Yessir and thank you, Willie.
WILLIE: God bless you. That is Kieth Maupin and Carolyn Maupin, the mother and father of Matt. They go through Hell every day and every night. Imagine having your son captive, uh, somewhere in Iraq in probably some ugly dungeon and being held against his will. I pray and hope that one day Matt is going to come back and we're going to have one helluva homecoming for that boy.
Audio can be heard
here.
