Thomaston Post Office Named for 'Hollar'

Amanda Hollar, wife of Sgt. 1st Class Robert Lee “Bobby” Hollar Jr., and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland unveil a replica of the plaque that will stand in Thomaston’s post office alongside Sgt. 1st Class Hollar’s portrait. (Georgia National Guard photo by Pfc. Adam Dean)

April 13, 2007 – The city of Thomaston honored Georgia Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Robert Lee “Bobby” Hollar Jr., by dedicating the town’s post office in his name and memory during a ceremony that marked his birthday at the Thomaston Civic Center. On hand to help dedicate the facility was Hollar's wife, Amanda and two children.

Hollar, a scout with Troop E, 108th Cavalry, was killed in al Mahmudiyah, near Baghdad, Sept. 1, 2005, when the blast of an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle. Hollar was 35 when he was killed. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for his sacrifice.

Out of uniform, Hollar was a postal carrier in the Thomaston area.

 Renaming a post office requires an act of Congress, explained Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who championed the bill in the House of Representatives. With the help of Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, Westmoreland successfully got the bill passed on the last day of the 2006 Congressional session.

A replica of the plaque that now stands in the lobby of the newly named “Sergeant First Class Robert Lee “Bobby” Hollar Jr. Post Office Building” was unveiled by Hollar’s wife, Amanda, and Westmoreland at the ceremony. A portrait of Hollar will hang alongside the plaque.

“From this moment forward Sgt. Bobby Hollar will be immortalized in the community that he called home,” said Westmoreland.

Sergeant 1st Class James A. Ross, Hollar’s platoon sergeant during Troop E’s deployment, described his friend as a fallen hero in remarks before those assembled at the civic center.

“He was my assistant platoon sergeant and I depended on him many times to take the lead,” said Ross. “As a Soldier, he put his life on the line for freedom and for his country. He firmly believed in our mission, and did his best to carry it out.”

Ross also described Hollar as a devoted family man, who often spoke of his wife and children, and the strength that he felt his family gave him to persevere in the war zone.

Children from Griffin’s Crescent Elementary School were also on hand to reflect on the legacy of Sgt. 1st Class Hollar. During his deployment, he was a pen pal with several of the students there.

Ryan Ragsdale was one of three students who read letters at the ceremony that they had written to congressmen, asking for the post office to be dedicated in Hollar’s name.

“When we found out he died, we were all crying hard that day,” said Ragsdale, as he read from his letter. “What he did for us was very important. He risked his life for our freedom and he did not have to do that.”

Mrs. Hollar credits Mack Gadsen, a postal inspector and veteran from North Carolina, with the initial idea to have the post office named after her husband. She said that Gadsen was researching the sergeant’s life and death for a newspaper story, and was so moved that he enlisted the help of legislators and the students at the elementary school in Griffin to get the post office renamed.

Hollar, a native of Griffin, moved to Thomaston as a child.