U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) last week introduced legislation renaming the U.S. Post Office located at 19 W. White Street in Millstadt after Marine Cpl. Matthew A. Wyatt. 

Wyatt, a Millstadt native, was killed stopping a suicide bomber’s truck packed with 600 pounds of explosives at the gates of his Forward Operating Base in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on Dec. 3, 2004.

The 21-year-old was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. 

“Southern Illinois was blessed to call Matthew Wyatt a native son,” Bost said. “As a Marine, I am grateful for his service and in awe of the selflessness he displayed in putting the safety of his fellow service members first. But as a father and a grandfather, it tears me apart thinking of a lifetime of birthdays lost and milestones missed. I hope that the small gesture of naming Matt’s hometown post office in his honor will help keep his legacy alive for generations to come.” 

Wyatt was a 2001 graduate of Belleville West High School.