Todd Tiahrt: “Mr. Speaker, I am also honored to have to carry this bill. And, today, Congress has the honor to approve the bill…”

“Mr. Speaker, I am also honored to have to carry this bill. And, today, Congress has the honor to approve the bill, naming the post office in Derby, Kansas, after a true American hero, SGT Jamie O'Dell Maugans. Sergeant Maugans was the first casualty of the global war on terror from the 4th District of Kansas, a district that has experienced 12 casualties in this war. A Derby native, Sergeant Maugans graduated from Derby High School and attended Cowley County Community College and the University of Kansas before joining the Army. When the terrorists attacked our Nation on September 11, 2001, Jamie was serving as an ordnance disposal specialist stationed in San Diego, California. Shortly after those attacks, he was deployed in Afghanistan in connection with Operation Enduring Freedom. On April 15, 2002, while disposing of ordnance near Kandahar, Afghanistan, Sergeant Maugans was killed. The explosion also took the lives of three other soldiers, including fellow Kansan, SSG Justin Galewski from Olathe. Jamie was only 27 years old. Sergeant Maugans left behind a loving family and friends in Kansas.”