Keith "Matt" Maupin has been missing since insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades and small arms attacked his convoy April 9, 2004.

"Coalition forces continue to actively search for Staff Sergeant Maupin, and will continue to do so until he is found," the army said in a statement announcing the promotion.

Maupin's duty status was initially given as "Weareabouts Unknown," but changed to "Missing-Captured" a week later when the Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera aired a video showing him seated on a floor surrounded by masked gunmen.

A month later Al-Jazeera aired what it said was the execution of an American soldier, but the images were not clear and the army said it was inconclusive.