Thursday Edition August
03, 2006
Search never ends for missing
Thursday, 03 August 2006
Story and photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva
1st Marine Division
GHARMAH -- The search for Army Sgt. Keith M. Maupin, a Soldier who was taken captive
by insurgents more than two years ago, continued near Fallujah recently.
A team of U.S. Marines, Army and British Soldiers, fanned out across two locations searching
for Maupin, who is the only missing U.S. servicemember from Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, shot down during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, is
the only other missing U.S. servicemember in Iraq. This search marked the 86th time troops have looked for Maupin.
A 6-inch-long bone was found at the second survey site and was bagged, labeled and shipped
from Camp Fallujah to to Dover Air Force Base, Md. Tests there by experts proved the bone was not that of Maupin's, but that
of an animal.
American military tradition dictates searches for missing U.S. servicemembers are to
continue indefinitely, until the servicemember is accounted for.
"This is very important for us to do this," said Army Chief Warrant Officer Steven J.
Nesbit, a 49-year-old member of the Personnel Recovery Detachment from Multi-National Corps - Iraq in Baghdad.
"Any Coalition member lives by that creed that we never leave anyone behind," he said.
Maupin was taken captive by insurgents on April 9, 2004, near Abu Ghraib, after his convoy
was attacked. He was shown in insurgent propaganda films in uniform and insurgents claimed to have shot and killed him later.
The clip, shot with night vision equipment, was grainy and experts were never able to verify if the victim was Maupin.
It was the second time searchers from MNC - I came to this area in Al Anbar province
to search for remains. They arrived in March and searched two sites south of Fallujah. At least two sets of remains were uncovered
from crude graves on a desert hilltop. Tests conducted after that search revealed the remains were not Maupin's.
In the more recent effort, Marines secured a field across the street from a mosque.
According to Army Sgt. 1st Class James Haftmann, a member of the Personnel Recovery Detachment,
the team had information indicating that the mosque had ties to Maupin's kidnapping.
"The mosque was reported to have had weapons that were involved in Maupin's convoy,"
Haftmann said. "The area was identified as one that needed to be searched."
Haftmann said the detachment follows up on nearly every source. He said they don't want
to miss an opportunity and are still netting leads.
Marines secured the site and patrolled nearby neighborhoods while the search team went
to work.
British Soldiers from Joint Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, 35 Engineer Regiment,
based in Paderborn, England were flown from Basra to assist in the search.
The English troops Sgt. Darrell S. Cooper, a 33-year-old from Manchester; Lance Cpl.
James A. Riley, a 22-year-old from Brisbane, and Sapper Barry G. Clynes, a 19-year-old from Hemel Hempstead, used ground-penetrating
radar by dragging the device over the field, searching for disturbances beneath the surface. The site yielded no clues.
"Being
Coalition forces, we want to help you find him," Riley explained. "We understand how troops feel. We want to do the best job
we can to find him."
The team moved with another group of Marines further north along an irrigation canal.
The second search site was part of an earlier search that was never completed, Haftmann said. Marines once again, blocked
traffic and pushed out to provide security for the search team. Three separate areas were marked off for scanning and radar
revealed that some disturbances were detected underneath the sand.
Marine engineers drove in a backhoe and dug. Nothing significant was found.
Haftmann said the search for Maupin is a labor of loyalty. It's an entire team of analysts,
planners down to the Marines providing security who want to do their part to bring Maupin home.
"All the people put their heart and soul into this," said Haftmann, a 38-year-old from
Charleston, S.C. "They want closure. They want to say they did something good."
Haftmann offered special praise for the Marines on the line, keeping him safe while he
searched.
"These guys risk their lives," he said. "They get shot at just because we want to dig
a hole. Everyone who played a part should be proud."
Nesbit explained the thought of Maupin's family is what drives him to keep looking. He
said he often tried to understand the emptiness he said they must experience without having final answers. For that reason,
he drives on looking for answers.
"I try to think how they would feel," he said
There are more leads to follow and more sources who tell them they think they know where
Maupin's remains are buried.
"We know where he's not," Haftmann said. "But we won't stop the search. We continue.
We're never stopping until we find him."
