Chargois happy to be ‘home’ as Postmaster in Kaplan

KAPLAN — Carl “C.J.” Chargois feels at home as the postmaster for the Kaplan Post Office.
Chargois, a Vermilion Parish native, was named postmaster in late March after serving in various posts in the U.S. Postal Service for nearly a quarter-century. Chargois was appointed to the position after John Sergi Jr. retired from the post in December of 2021.
“I’m just glad to be back in Kaplan, working in Kaplan and having a first-hand role in the community,” said Chargois, whose wife, Dr. Tina Chargois is from Kaplan.
Chargois, 52, said he joined the U.S. Army and began serving after graduating from North Vermilion High School in 1989. His military career took him to such places as Germany, Fort Lewis, Washington, and Fort Hood, Texas, until he left the service in 1999 and began working for the Postal Service.
He began as a carrier for the Crowley Post Office, working his way up to supervisor, then was named postmaster in Lake Arthur. He served as postmaster at several other locations, most recently in Duson, before moving to Kaplan as Officer-in-Charge and then postmaster.
As postmaster, Chargois oversees 15 employees, with one opening on the staff he’s looking to fill and works to ensure the 4,650 residents of Kaplan with mailboxes get their deliveries on time. There also are more than 400 P.O. Boxes at the Kaplan Post office.
“The employees of the Kaplan Post Office have made the transition into my new position as Postmaster very pleasant,” Chargois said. “They’re a hard-working group of coworkers.”
The U.S. Post Office in 2021 began its Delivering for America 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence, and Chargois said he’s working to make sure Kaplan residents have their needs met by the local post office.
There are other projects he’s also in charge of locally, including repairs to the parking lot and The National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, which was held this past Saturday.
“I want to thank the residents of Kaplan for their continued support of the Postal Service,” Chargois said.
Chargois and his wife, who retired from the Vermilion Parish School Board and now works for a national organization, have two children, one in college and one in middle school. He also has two older kids, one married to an Air Force service member and one who lives in San Antonio, Texas.