TROY – Bill Albers returns to the WACO Lecture Series this month with a World War II themed lecture. This presentation, on Thursday, Jan. 23 begins at 7:00 p.m., and doors open at 6:30 p.m. The lecture describes the lives of the airmen who served in the Heavy Bomber Groups over Europe from the time they enlisted, the selection processes and training until they came home. It covers their combat responsibilities and bravery while flying missions over enemy territory not knowing if they would survive.

Albers was born in Amsterdam in 1940 and as a child, survived a five-year long German occupation during World War II. He served in the Royal Dutch Air Force as a jet aircraft mechanic and earned a degree in mechanical engineering before coming to the US in 1965. He continued to study engineering in Ohio and lived and worked in the US before becoming a citizen in 1977. He has held positions as an engineering manager, sales manager, and divisional manager, VP of sales & engineering, and CEO of different US companies. He now is busily retired and spends time volunteering at the Champaign Aviation Museum as well as WACO Air Museum. Albers is a pilot with Sidney airport as his home base and holds a private, instrument, commercial, and ground school instructor pilot license.

All aviation lectures are free and open to the public, and are held in the Willis Wing of the WACO Air Museum at 1865 South County Road 25A in Troy.

Programs are scheduled to last one hour with questions to follow. Donations to the WACO Air Museum are accepted. For questions, call (937) 335-9226 or visit www.wacoairmuseum.org.