Staff Sergeant Matt Maupin is certainly a recognized hero in the Clermont County community and his family and friends have made it their mission to continue to honor Matt for many years to come.
Army SPC and friend Dustin Row was with Maupin the day of his capture. “Most attacks that we were in, you woke that day kind of sensing that something bad was going to happen. The morning of the attack, we woke up and it was like a really bad feeling in the air,” Row explains. He can vividly remember as their convoy line began experiencing fire fight which ultimately got worse over time. Row’s convoy was only 6 of the 26 trucks that made it through the three mile long kill zone to safer grounds and that is when they realized there were multiple casualties and that Maupin was captured by insurgents.
Row is now retired from the military and lives in the St. Louis region where he has developed a love for cross fit. There is where he learned about Hero WOD (workout of the day.) “A hero WOD is basically a really tough workout named after the men and women of our fallen soldiers,” Row explained. “I knew then I wanted to create one for Matt.”
In honor of Maupin, Row created a WOD which consists of 4 rounds of an 800 meter run, 49 air squats, 49 pushups and 49 sit ups.
The 4-9 representing the day Maupin was captured, which was April 9, 2004. “Creating this workout has given us the opportunity for Matt’s spirit to live on,” said Row.
Row is also the founder of an organization called Songs 4 Soldiers, which is an outdoor concert in the St. Louis area which raises money for veterans.
Their mission is to serve others who have served us.
100 percent of the proceeds goes directly to aiding and assisting combat veterans as they face daily struggles and hardships.
On April 9 of every year, Row and the cross fit community dedicates the day to Maupin and together they complete his WOD. Each year he collects donations and has always wanted the money to go somewhere in Maupin’s hometown.
With the collaboration of Carolyn Maupin, Matt’s mother, together her and Row decided to donate the money to Clermont Crew.
Maupin rowed for the Clermont Crew while attending Glen Este High School. ‘Matt was dedicated to his rowing team and all of his athletics.
He loved to be out on the water at East Fork,” said Carolyn. I thought long and hard about where we wanted to donate this money and I ultimately decided that we wanted it to go to an organization that Matt was a part of before his time in the military,” she added. A lot of people knew Matt while he was serving his country and afterwards, but I wanted to highlight Matt before that.”
This spring over 2,000 dollars was donated to the Clermont Crew in honor of Maupin.
This money will provide the rowing team with new boat shoes, which is a very important part of a rower’s safety while on the water and a variety of new equipment throughout the boathouse.
“We feel honored to receive this donation,” said Clermont Crew’s head coach, Michael Apicella. “I know Matt’s history in the rowing community and it has been a great example to show our student athletes.
In collaboration with the Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Clermont County Sports Corporation, in honor of the donation they were able to name a wakeless launch after Maupin. Additionally, Maupin has two rowing skulls dedicated to him.
Matt was loved and is still loved in this community. It is nice to continue to shine a light on such a tragic story. Through his sacrifice he is able to positively impact people who are now walking in the same steps he was just a few years ago.
