BATAVIA, Ohio — Saturday would have been Army Staff Sergeant Matt Maupin’s 41st birthday.
Hundreds of bikers came together in Clermont County to honor his legacy and mark a solemn 20th anniversary.
The Batavia man disappeared in Iraq in 2004 after insurgents attacked his convoy. After four years, the military discovered his remains.
“It's been a long 20 years. But you know, it was yesterday for me,” Matt’s father Keith said. “I learned that I can’t change yesterday, but we can make a difference tomorrow.”
After a rendition of the national anthem on an electric guitar, a motorcade of bikes took off from West Clermont High School to East Fork State Park, where a memorial pavilion is named in Maupin’s honor. Bikers came from as far away as Florida.
The ride was a fundraiser to benefit a scholarship for veterans at University of Cincinnati Clermont and Blue Ash.
Proceeds will also go toward the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, which sends care packages to deployed service members.
The organization has already sent 36,000 boxes since 2008, Keith said: “I don’t know them, they don’t know me, but they’ll know Matt, because he’s all over that box with stickers.”
June Wilson, events coordinator for the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, said each time someone comes to the center and learns about Maupin, “they always want to keep the support for the family going.”
As the band played and food was served, it was a reminder that the freedom of a motorcycle ride does not come without sacrifice.
“We’re on a mission to make sure that he and none of the other Goldstar families’ sons or daughters are lost,” Keith said.
