McCaul Urges Support for His Bill Renaming Bastrop Post Office in Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh’s Honor

WASHINGTON - U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) spoke on the House Floor in support of his bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1106 Main Street in Bastrop, Texas, as the "Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh Post Office," which passed by unanimous consent.

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- Remarks as Delivered -

Mr. Speaker,

You and I just returned from Luxembourg to honor the veterans of WWII who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

I was there on behalf of the House of Representatives, at the Speaker's request, to honor the Greatest Generation and their sacrifices to defeat evil and ensure that freedom would persevere.

Those soldiers that braved the Nazi onslaught and the frozen forests of the Ardennes to liberate Europe are known as 'The Greatest Generation.'

Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh was part of that great generation.

The service website military.com, using the colloquial name for Special Forces made famous during the Vietnam War, called Mr. Waugh, 'The unparalleled godfather of the Green Berets.'

For his long years of service and numerous missions with them, he led a lifelong commitment to his country from a young age. He understood, as [President] Reagan did, that 'Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for and protected.'

Sergeant Major Waugh was born in 1929 and raised in Bastrop, Texas, in my district.

And in 1945, after meeting two local United States Marines who returned from fighting in World War II, [the] then 15-year-old Mr. Waugh was inspired to enlist in the Marine Corps.

Knowing that it was unlikely that he would be allowed to enlist in Texas due to his young age, Waugh decided to hitchhike to Los Angeles, where he believed he only had to be 16 years old.

He got as far as Las Cruces, New Mexico, before being turned around and sent back to Bastrop by a local police officer. That shows you the amount of patriotism this young 15-year-old had.

Later, in 1948, he enlisted and served his country as an Army paratrooper and Special Forces soldier until 1972.

Sergeant Major Waugh was no stranger to the front and served seven years in combat during the Korean and Vietnam wars, where he was shot multiple times.

While in combat, he was part of a high-altitude, low-opening, or HALO parachute assault, the first of its kind in military history.

For his service, Sergeant Major Waugh received dozens of military awards and medals, including the Silver Star, four Bronze Stars, a Presidential Unit Citation, and eight Purple Hearts for his combat wounds - placing him third on the list of most Purple Hearts ever received in the history of the United States military.

After retirement, he joined the United States Postal Service - before again serving his country as a paramilitary operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency - where he pursued terrorists, including Carlos the Jackal and Osama Bin Laden.

Mr. Waugh never lost his sense of duty, patriotism, and his enduring love of freedom.

And at the age of 71, Mr. Waugh participated in Operation Enduring Freedom from October to December 2001 as a member of the CIA's Northern Alliance Liaison Team, which went into Afghanistan to work to topple the Taliban regime and Al Qaeda at the Battle of Tora Bora.

Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh passed away last year at the age of 93.

He epitomized the American values of courage, patriotism, and self-sacrifice.

Through his unparalleled life of service, he undoubtedly saved countless American lives and pushed back terrorism and evil around the world.

After a life of service to his country, it is only fitting that the post office located at 1106 Main Street in Bastrop, Texas, be named after him.

Naming this post office after him is a testament to a life well-lived and an opportunity for all Texans to pay homage to this great American hero.

I am inspired by him and … that he's from Texas.

I support this measure, and may God hold Sergeant Major Waugh in the palm of His hand.

I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

I yield the balance of my time.

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