A giant little salute

VFW garden library to honor US war pilot; family donates books to stock shelves

Apr 04, 2023

DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE

A tiny library will be placed in a Memorial Garden at the Temple VFW on April 15 in memory of a US Air Force pilot who flew bombing missions in Korea and Vietnam.

The Little Library — a project of the Betty Martin Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution — will be placed in the garden at VFW Post No.. 1820, located on Airport Road in Temple.

The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. and will include patriotic music and a proclamation read by Temple Mayor Tim Davis.

“We are partnering with the family of Col. Charlie Pitts,” said Janie Reed, chair of the local DAR group’s Service for Veterans Committee. “The family wants to honor Col. Pitts, who served 28 years in the Air Force and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He flew B-52 bombers and other military aircraft, including P-51 Mustangs and the T-38 Talon.”

Col. Pitts retired as vice wing commander of the 7th Bomb Wing at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth.

“Col. Pitts had a huge collection of military books — some soft-back, some hardback — and his family will donate books for the library,” Reed said. “The collection is massive and will keep the library full for years to come.”

The library will be outside in the garden, and visitors can take a book home or sit on benches and tables in the garden and read.

“It’s a small library,” Reed said. “It will hold 10 to 12 books depending on their size. Our guests can take a book and keep it, or return it after they are finished. They can even donate a book to the library.”

Little libraries are very popular in many parts of the world, and those who take a book are encouraged to leave one as well. But in the case of the Pitts’ library, the family has an extensive military book collection that will keep it full for years.

The dedication ceremony will feature The Celebration Singers, directed by Gary Anthony and Gary Bledsoe. The group will lead in the singing of God Bless America, the Star-Spangled Banner and the Air Force March song, Reed said. There also will be an invocation and a Color Guard presentation.