Residents honor fallen soldier

The Army sergeant was killed when a car bomb hit his convoy in Iraq.
BATAVIA, Ohio (AP) -- Community leaders refuse to call a gathering in honor of a native killed in Iraq a memorial service. They insist it is a celebration of the life of Army Sgt. Charles Kiser.
"We will be passing out red, white and blue lapel pins, but there will be no mourning or black ribbons," said Clermont County Commissioner Bob Proud, an organizer of the Monday night event. "Sgt. Kiser gave the ultimate sacrifice for his friends, his country and people he didn't even know. We are God and country in this county, and we support our troops and their families."
Proud said Kiser's family, who planned to take part in the celebration, didn't want any signs of mourning in the event that was to include patriotic songs and remarks by the Kiser family and the mother of kidnapped soldier Army Spc. Keith Maupin, who was known as Matt.
"We are a family in Clermont County, and when something happens to a family member we rally around them," Proud said.
Kiser, 37, of Cleveland, Wis., was a native of nearby Amelia in this county east of Cincinnati. He was killed June 24 when a car bomb hit his convoy of humvees outside Mosul, Iraq.
Fate unclear
The fate of Maupin, listed as captured April 9 when his convoy was attacked west of Baghdad, remains uncertain. The Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera reported June 28 that a man being shot in the head in a dark, grainy video of an execution by Iraqi insurgents was Maupin, but Department of Defense officials say they can't be sure.
The Maupin family attended church with the Kisers the Sunday after Kiser's death was reported, and the mothers of both soldiers have talked several times, Army spokesmen have said.
"They bonded immediately as mothers of soldiers," Army Maj. Mark Magalski said last week of Carolyn Maupin and Glenda Kiser.
Glenda Kiser and her five daughters and their families live in the Cincinnati area. Several of Kiser's nieces and nephews were to release balloons with messages to their uncle Monday night.
Kiser, whose funeral was Thursday in Wisconsin, is also survived by his wife, Debbie, and two children.
He was a champion sprinter in high school and was on the University of Cincinnati track team before joining the Navy, where he spent seven years on active duty and seven years in the Navy Reserve. He joined the Army Reserve two years ago and had been in Iraq since January.