Ceremony to Name Derby Post Office Building for Sergeant Jamie O. Maugans to be held Oct. 4

What: The Derby Post Office Building will be named in honor of U.S. Army Sergeant Jamie O. Maugans, who was the first casualty of the Global War on Terror from the 4th Congressional District of Kansas. A plaque naming the Post Office Building will be unveiled at the ceremony. The public is invited to attend.

Who: Maugans’ Family; U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt; Manager, Post Office Operations Manager Michael Monnington; Derby Postmaster Robin Gay, and local officials.

When:  1:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008

Where: Derby Recreation Center, 801 E. Market St., Derby, Kansas

Background: A Derby Native, Maugans graduated from Derby High School and attended Cowley County Community College and the University of Kansas before joining the Army in November of 1997. When the terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, Sergeant Maugans was serving as an ordnance disposal specialist stationed in San Diego, Calif., Shortly after those attacks, he was deployed in Afghanistan in connection with Operation Enduring Freedom. 

On April 15, 2002, while disposing of ordnance (weapons and munitions) near Kandahar, Afghanistan, Sergeant Maugans was killed. He was only 27 years old. The explosion also took the lives of three other soldiers, including fellow Kansan Staff Sergeant Justin Galewski, from Olathe, Kan.

As a lasting tribute, U.S. Representative Todd Tiahrt helped to pass federal legislation naming the Derby, KS, Post Office Building in Maugans’ honor. The event will be held at the Derby Recreation Center, as the Derby Post Office can not accommodate the large number of people expected to attend.

“As the first casualty from my district, Jamie's life and memory are a representation of all those who have lost their lives in the Global War on Terror,” said Tiahrt. “I hope this effort will be a reminder to everyone in south central Kansas of the sacrifice that so many veterans have made for our country and our freedoms.”