Submitted story

Join us at Champaign Aviation Museum for a free lecture on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. as Lt. Col. Brian J. Duddy (retired) will be presenting “Invasion Stripes: The Wartime Diary of Capt. Robert Uhrig, USAAF and the Dawn of American Military Airlift.”

From the snows of Alaska to V-E Day in Europe, this is the biography of U.S. Army Air Forces Captain and Springfield, Ohio, native Robert Uhrig during WWII.

Told in his own words from extensive diary entries and letters to his wife “Toots,” the story starts in the late 1930s at Patterson Field, Ohio, and follows Bob through the war as an aircraft mechanic and then Engineering Officer for the 36th Troop Carrier Squadron and their Douglas C-47s.

As one of the original members of the Troop Carrier units, Bob’s wartime career took him from the jump school at Ft. Benning to supplying British units in North Africa to the Sicily and Normandy invasions and all the other airborne operations in Europe. “Invasion Stripes” is also a deeply personal story of devotion and love as Bob and Toots endure almost three years of wartime separation – with only their photographs and letters to sustain them across thousands of miles. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic, it is a unique and detailed first-person story of the American airlift forces of WWII.

This lecture is based on the book written by Lt. Col. Duddy with the same title. Copies of the book may be purchased at https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/DWFlyingService. Bring your copies with you to the lecture to have them signed by the author.

The museum is located at 1652 N. Main Street, Urbana, Ohio 43078. Doors open at 5 p.m.

This event is free and registration is not required.

Info from Champaign Aviation Museum