News Release: Senate Passes Cruz Bill to Memorialize Bastrop Post Office

Cruz Press Office:

Darin Miller

Bethany Stevens

November 22, 2024

Senate Passes Cruz Bill to Memorialize Bastrop Post Office in Honor of Eight-Time Purple Heart Recipient Sergeant Major Billy Waugh

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement after the Senate passed his bill designating the United States Post Office located on Main Street in Bastrop, Texas as the “Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh Post Office.” The bill memorializes the service of Sergeant Major Waugh, a Silver Star and eight-time Purple Heart recipient, who called Bastrop home.

Upon passage, Sen. Cruz said, “Sergeant Major Billy Waugh dedicated his life to serving his state and country. As an Army paratrooper, Special Forces Soldier, CIA paramilitary officer, Postal Service member, and eight-time Purple Heart recipient, he embodied the highest ideals of American patriotism and sacrifice. By naming the Bastrop Post Office after Sergeant Major Waugh, we honor his legacy of resilience, courage, and sacrifice.”

Sen. Cornyn said, “I am proud to champion legislation alongside Senator Cruz to designate the post office in Bastrop, Texas, after Sergeant Major Waugh, a decorated combat war veteran and eight-time Purple Heart recipient who dedicated five decades of service to our country. Now that this bill has passed the Senate, we are one step closer to renaming this facility in his honor, which will serve as a reminder of his impressive legacy and lifetime of service for generations to come.”

Rep. McCaul said, “Sergeant Major Waugh was a true American hero whose courage, patriotism, and service must never be forgotten. He epitomized what it means to be a proud American and a brave Texan — fighting to push back evil around the world and saving countless lives in the process. As the representative for Bastrop County, I couldn’t be prouder to have played a role in helping to memorialize and honor his life well-lived.”

BACKGROUND

Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh was born in December 1929 and raised in Bastrop, Texas. He served his country as an Army paratrooper and Special Forces Soldier from 1948 to 1972, including seven years in combat during the Korean and Vietnam wars. He also was part of the first high-altitude, low-opening (HALO) combat parachute assault in military history.

For his military service, Sergeant Major Waugh received dozens of awards and medals, including the Silver Star and eight Purple Hearts for his combat wounds. 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 successfully pursued terrorists including Carlos the Jackal and Osama Bin Laden.

Sergeant Major Waugh eventually returned to his hometown of Bastrop and passed away in April 2023 at the age of 93.