U.S. Rep. Mike Bost | Bost.house.gov
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost | Bost.house.gov
Mike Bost, representative for Illinois' 12th Congressional District, expressed his honor in sponsoring the bill to rename the Millstadt post office after Marine Corporal Matthew A. Wyatt.
"I was honored to carry the legislation in Congress renaming the Millstadt Post Office in honor of a hometown hero, Marine Corporal Matthew A. Wyatt," said Bost, U.S. Representative, according to Facebook. "Matt sacrificed his life in 2004 protecting his military base in Iraq from a suicide bomber's vehicle loaded with 600 pounds of explosives. This morning, I joined Matt's parents, Alan and Verlene; their family and friends; and representatives from the U.S. Postal Service for a ceremony renaming the Post Office at 200 S. Veterans Drive. USPS officials said this was one of the largest crowds they've ever seen anywhere in the country for a ceremony of this kind."
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, Bost proposed the renaming in August 2024 to honor Wyatt. Verlene Wyatt, Matthew's mother, said that her son did not seek recognition for his actions but was deserving of the honor. Before his deployment to Iraq, Wyatt was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After deployment, his platoon remained in Iraq until March 2005. Lauren Wyatt, Matt’s stepmother and a congressional fellow in Representative Kathy Manning’s office, reached out to Bost to sponsor the bill honoring her stepson.
Screenshot of U.S. Rep. Mike Bost's May 23 Facebook post
| U.S. Rep. Mike Bost's Facebook page
On May 23, the Millstadt Post Office building at 20 West White Street was officially renamed the "Corporal Matthew A. Wyatt Post Office." Representative Bost attended the ceremony along with local Patriot Guards and Color Guards. Tangela Bush, USPS Illinois 2 District Manager; Jeff Hamilton, Post Office Operations Manager; and Bernice Joseph, Illinois 2 District Customer Relations Manager also attended.
Wyatt died on December 3, 2004, in Anbar Province after a car bomb exploded as he patrolled the border between Iraq and Jordan. He had left for Iraq in September of that year and joined the Marines six weeks after graduating from Belleville West High School in 2001.
Bost has represented Illinois’ 12th District since January 6, 2015. A lifelong Murphysboro resident with extensive experience in state politics, he served as House Republican Caucus Chair in the Illinois State House of Representatives for two decades. He is also a former U.S. Marine Corps member who served from 1979-1982. Before entering full-time politics, Bost worked at Bost Trucking Service for 24 years and later joined the Murphysboro Fire Department after completing training at the University of Illinois’ Certified Firefighter II Academy in 1993.
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