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Culture
Proud Patriots
Clermont County earns its nickname: ‘Yellow Ribbon Capital of the World’
Matt’s father, Keith, has vowed not to shave his beard until his son is found.When Private First Class Matt Maupin’s convoy was attacked just west of Baghdad on April 9, 2004, and Maupin, a Batavia native, was captured by Iraqi insurgents, Clermont County citizens banded together in a way reminiscent of how Americans united after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Even three years later, yellow ribbons and American flags adorn everything from interstate overpasses to front yards, business signs flash messages like “Our Prayers Are With Matt,” and flag ties and lapel pins are commonplace.
It’s a sight that would make Maupin, who remains one of only two American soldiers unaccounted for in the Iraq war, proud to be from Clermont County.
“Clermont County has always been patriotic, but when something like this happens, they have the opportunity to really show their colors,” says Keith Maupin, Matt’s father. “And their colors are red, white, blue and yellow.”
Video of Maupin being held hostage alive aired on Al-Jazeera a week after his disappearance, but since then his whereabouts have remained a mystery. Meanwhile, Maupin’s family – and the rest of Clermont County – have been waiting fervently for news. But their hands have by no means been idle.
Maupin’s parents, Keith and Carolyn, busy themselves with the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, a nonprofit group they started in August 2004 that has shipped more than 6,500 packages of donated bubble gum, coffee and hot chocolate, cookies and candy, games, toothbrushes, underwear and toiletries to U.S. troops in Iraq.
“We can’t send one to Matt,” Keith Maupin says, “but we wanted to make sure all the other guys knew they were supported.”
Other Clermont County citizens have found their own ways to express patriotism. Ric Van Lieu, whose son Zack volunteered as a fire marshal in Iraq for five months, was largely responsible for the 5-foot yellow ribbons and 6-foot red letters that spell out “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS” mounted over the interstate.
“People really connect with that, and I just want people to take a minute and say a prayer for our troops,” Van Lieu says. “This is a very ‘God and Country’ type of community. Nobody has any problems showing the colors here.”
County Commissioner Bob Proud organized a patriotic rally at the Batavia armory several weeks after the war began where he anticipated 500 attendees.
“There were more than 1,200 people there,” Proud says incredulously.
He has also organized “Celebrations of Life and Service” for fallen soldiers from Clermont County, where hundreds of citizens have gathered either in front of Batavia’s courthouse, at the fairgrounds or in the soldier’s hometown to listen to speakers and patriotic singers.
“We say we’re not going to debate the merits of this war, whether it’s good or bad. We’re able to rise above all that to support our troops,” Proud says. “In Clermont County, we’re a family of 190,000, and if something happens to one of our family members, we’ll be there for them. It’s what we do.”
For now, a 6-foot electric lantern garnished with a yellow ribbon illuminates Veterans Memorial Park in Union Township 24 hours a day as a symbol of hope for Maupin’s safe return.
“This has got to be the most patriotic county in the country. We appreciate all the unbelievable support people have given us and our troops, and we just want everybody to keep the faith,” Keith Maupin says. “We want Matt to be as proud of us as we are of him.”
Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Michael W. Bunch
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