A 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".

Mr. Speaker, you and I just returned from Luxembourg to honor the veterans of World War II 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 forest 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 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 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 of age.

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 did enlist and serve his country as an Army paratrooper and Special Forces soldier until 1972.

Sergeant Major Waugh was no stranger to the front and served 7 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. 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-Qaida 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 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, as I know are all Americans. We are inspired that he is from Texas. I support this measure, and may God hold Sergeant Major Waugh in the palm of his hand.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3946) 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''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office located in Texas in honor of Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh.

Sergeant Major Waugh served for five decades as an Army paratrooper, Special Forces soldier, combat veteran, USPS mail handler, and CIA paramilitary operations officer. He passed away in April 2023.

I support naming a post office in honor of Sergeant Major Waugh, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill honoring Sergeant Major Waugh, an American hero, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Just to complete a little bit of the portrait of Sergeant Major Waugh, which was begun by Mr. Burlison, Sergeant Major Waugh also served in the Green Berets within the U.S. Army Special Forces in 1954.

When he retired from the Army, he returned to serve as a paramilitary officer within the CIA Special Activities Division. Waugh was one of the oldest field operatives at the age of 71, providing critical intelligence and guidance to Afghan troops.

In his career, he earned a Silver Star, four Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts, and the CIA's Intelligence Star. He passed away in April 2023 at 93 years old.

The legislation would honor his legacy, his extraordinary more-than- 50-year military career, and his dedication to the country by naming a post office after him in his hometown of Bastrop, Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills, en bloc: Calendar No. 451, S. 2546; Calendar No. 452, S. 3946; Calendar No. 453, S. 4077; Calendar No. 454, H.R. 599; Calendar No. 455, H.R. 1060; Calendar No. 456, H.R. 1098; Calendar No. 458, H.R. 3608; Calendar No. 459, H.R. 3728; Calendar No. 460, H.R. 5476; Calendar No. 461, H.R. 5640; Calendar No. 462, H.R. 5712; Calendar No. 463, H.R. 5985; Calendar No. 464, H.R. 6073; Calendar No. 465, H.R. 6651; Calendar No. 466, H.R. 7192; Calendar No. 467, H.R. 7199; and Calendar No. 468, H.R. 7423.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills, en bloc, be considered read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.