Thousands of Books Being Sent to Soldiers

“Hope this is a nice escape from reality…A book from a grateful person in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Thank you!!! God bless, be safe.”

The above inscription on a book was just one of thousands that are being sent to American soldiers in an effort to support the troops serving overseas. Between 5,000 and 7,000 books packed into boxes were loaded onto a trailer Thursday afternoon at in downtown Waukesha to ship the books deployed soldiers who don’t have a lot of reading materials overseas.

Projects like the Books for Soldier drive are part of the culture that exists in downtown Waukesha, according to Norm Bruce, owner of the bookstore at the corner of West Main and Gaspar streets.

“We try to be very community-orientated – wanting to do things together as a community,” Bruce said.

Some of the books will be sent in care packages to military members serving overseas. Others will be sent to Ft. McCoy for soldiers who are passing through. Plans are also in the works to have some books available at a military kiosk in the airport for soldiers who are boarding planes.

Eric Holmes, junior vice commander for the Military Order of the Purple Heart and a downtown business owner, said it was a privilege for the Military Order of the Purple Heart to be there for the Books for Soldiers drive.

“We didn’t get too many books in ‘Nam,” Holmes said. “There weren’t a whole lot of reading materials sent over to us during that time we were there. For this kind of program, it is a great program.”