Washington ? Carolyn and Keith Maupin walked into the Pentagon on Friday hoping for any new bits of information about their son, who was captured by insurgents near Baghdad more than 18 months ago.

They left after more than two hours, saying defense officials assured them the military is continuing to search for Army Reserve Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin. But they got no definitive answer to the question that haunts them most: Is he still alive?

“Even though you see a smile, your heart still aches,” Carolyn Maupin told a reporter after the meeting, as she and her husband visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, both wearing pins bearing a photo of their son.

Surrounded by journalists and escorted by two Army officials, Keith Maupin said he believes “they’ll find something soon. They’ll find him.” He said he and his wife went to the somber Vietnam Wall because, “There are 50,000 names on that wall, and I just wanted to say thanks.”

The Maupins met with Lt. Gen. James L. Campbell, the Director of the Army Staff, as well as officials from the Casualty Assistance Office and the Joint Personnel Recovery Office. They also had a video conference call with senior officers in Iraq, including officials from U.S. Central Command.

When asked whether they learned anything new, they said nothing.

Keith and Carolyn Maupin, parents of missing Army Reserve Sgt. Keith Matt Maupin, talk Friday with the media in Washington. The Maupins met with Pentagon officials Friday hoping for any new information about their son, who was captured by insurgents near Baghdad more than 18 months ago.

“We will not discuss the specifics of the update because it is an ongoing operation and saying anything could be detrimental to Matt’s safe return and the safety of those involved in the search,” they said in a written statement.

Army officials said Friday that Sgt. Maupin’s status remains unchanged, and he is still considered captured. He is the only soldier who is missing or currently considered captured in the Iraq War.

The Batavia, Ohio, soldier has been missing since April 9, 2004, when his fuel truck convoy was ambushed by insurgents west of Baghdad after leaving camp.

A week later, Arab television network Al-Jazeera released a videotape showing Maupin sitting on the floor surrounded by five masked men holding automatic rifles. That June, Al-Jazeera released another tape purporting to show a U.S. soldier being shot. But the dark and grainy tape showed only the back of the victim’s head and did not show the actual shooting. The Army ruled it was inconclusive.

The Maupins said Friday’s meeting was helpful, and showed the Army is following leads on their son’s whereabouts.