Bastrop Post Office dedicated in honor of Army veteran
BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — An Army veteran and military hero’s legacy is living on in his hometown of Bastrop.
The Bastrop Post Office was dedicated in honor of Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh on Tuesday morning. Waugh’s family members, including his widow Lynn Waugh, were at the ceremony to witness the office’s official name change. They were accompanied by U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul.
The U.S. Postal Service said in a press release that the dedication is, “a testament to the legacy Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh left behind – that of a true American hero whose courage, patriotism, and service will never be forgotten.”
“It means a lot, it means that his local people that he grew up with are very in tune to what he did for the country for all those years,” Lynn said, speaking of what the dedication meant to her. “It makes me very proud of not only Bastrop, but of him and his service.”
Family members of U.S. Army veteran Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh at the dedication of the Bastrop Post Office in honor of Waugh. (KXAN photo/Todd Bailey)
The Bastrop Post Office was dedicated in honor of U.S. Army veteran, military hero, and Bastrop native Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh on 6/17/2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey)
Family members of U.S. Army veteran Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh sit with Congressman Michael McCaul at the dedication of the Bastrop Post Office in honor of Waugh. (KXAN photo/Todd Bailey)
The Bastrop Post Office was dedicated in honor of U.S. Army veteran, military hero, and Bastrop native Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh on 6/17/2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey)
The Bastrop Post Office was dedicated in honor of U.S. Army veteran, military hero, and Bastrop native Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh on 6/17/2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey)
Congressman Michael McCaul speaks at the dedication of the Bastrop Post Office in honor of U.S. Army veteran, military hero and Bastrop native Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh on 6/17/2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey)
Family members of U.S. Army veteran Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh with Congressman Michael McCaul at the dedication of the Bastrop Post Office in honor of Waugh. (KXAN photo/Todd Bailey)
The Bastrop Post Office was dedicated in honor of U.S. Army veteran, military hero, and Bastrop native Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh on 6/17/2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey)
Congressman Michael McCaul speaks at the dedication of the Bastrop Post Office in honor of U.S. Army veteran, military hero and Bastrop native Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh on 6/17/2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey)
According to the USPS, Waugh joined the Postal Service after retiring from his military career, before he again started serving the country as a paramilitary operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency.
Waugh was born and raised in Bastrop and joined the Army in 1948. He served as an Army paratrooper and Special Forces soldier from 1948 to 1972. That included seven years in combat during the Korean and Vietnam wars, according to USPS.
Waugh received several military honors, including eight Purple Hearts for combat injuries, ranking him third among those who have received the most Purple Hearts in U.S. history. Other honors include four bronze stars, the silver star and the CIA intelligence star, per the USPS release.
“He was a born warrior,” Lynn said of her husband. “He was a good soldier, he was a good boss. If his men couldn’t do it, he put on the kit and would do it for him.”
Waugh eventually returned to his hometown of Bastrop and died in April 2023 at the age of 93.
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