At long last, Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin is home. He was laid to rest with full military honors this weekend, after having been captured by jihadis and then murdered by them in disregard for the protections of the very Geneva Conventions they claim protection from when they fall into the hands of Americans.

Thousands walked past Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin's casket during a daylong visitation at a civic center in Clermont County, east of Cincinnati, where he grew up. Many of them headed to Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds, for an afternoon memorial service.

The crowd occupied the lower portion of the 42,000-seat stadium, behind home plate, stretching from first base to third.

Maupin's flag-draped casket was on a platform in the area of the pitcher's mound. The only people on the field were members of the 338th Army band and about 100 family members, military representatives and dignitaries.

This weekend was a long time coming for Maupin's family. He was captured on April 9, 2004, and executed a short time thereafter. His body was recovered this spring.

May the sacrifice of Matt Maupin, and of all soldiers in the war against jihadi terrorism, not be in vain.

Posted by: Greg at 10:23 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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