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By: Phillip Ericksen
U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-College Station, donated about 600 books to the Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Tuesday.

The books came from the Library of Congress Surplus Books Program and Flores’ personal library.

The congressman said it was a way to honor those who have served.

“These veterans have done a great deal to serve our country,” Flores said. “I think this is the least we can do to take things that we find a surplus and put them to good use.”

Flores said he got the idea from a Tribune-Herald letter to the editor detailing the poor condition of the Waco VA campus library.

The donation includes fiction, travel and picture books and puzzles.

The Library of Congress often donates books of which it has multiple copies. For the 120 veterans occupying four buildings at the Waco VA hospital campus, a donation this large was appreciated.

“It’s pretty significant,” said Art Aubry, who served in Vietnam in 1966-70. “It reminds me of all things you hold dear in America. Pretty potent day. I think it’s especially nice what they do for veterans up here. They don’t spare.”

Doug Young, Waco VA assistant director of resources, said he hasn’t seen a book donation of this size since he began his work in 1979.

“We’ve had smaller donations where people bring five or six books, or a couple,” he said. “But with 600 or something, I’ve never heard of that before. It’ll certainly keep my residents here and the veterans in this building borrowing books for a long time.”

Dale Crosby, a 74-year-old Vietnam War veteran from the 199th Infantry, 2nd Airborne Division, said he is excited about the new collection.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s got a lot of old stuff in it that needed to be updated.”

The VA prides itself on meeting veterans’ needs.

“It’s awesome that these guys and girls can get what they ask for,” chief of volunteer service Reggie Hardy said. “And that’s the good thing about the donation. They ask for certain things, and we have that.”