Presentations & Times:
**All times are tentative and subject to change
Friday, September 13
10:00 am “War Stories and Why They Matter” Josef Otmar
11:30 am “The Lost Battalion” Robert Laplander
1:00 pm “History of the Great War” Jeremy Bowles
2:30 pm “Doughboy MIA” Robert Laplander
Saturday, September 14
10:00 am “Doughboy MIA” Robert Laplander
11:30 am. “WWI Artifacts” Robert Kasprzak
1:00 pm. “The Vickers: Grand Old Lady of No-Man’s Land” Josef Otmar
2:30 pm. “The Lost Battalion” Robert Laplander
Sunday, September 15
10:00 am “WWI Artifacts” Robert Kasprzak
11:30 pm. “WWI, Through Their Eyes” Jeremy Bowles
Speakers’ Bios:
Robert Laplander
Author and historian Robert John Laplander was born February 23rd, 1966 in Tucson, Arizona and grew up in Northern and Southeastern Wisconsin. The study of American participation in the First World War, and in particular the activities of the 1st Corps of the American 1st Army during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, has been a lifelong passion.
Robert Kasprzak
USAF Major (Ret) Robert Kasprzak serves as President of the local chapter of the League of WWI Aviation Historians. He will provide a “show and tell” featuring a variety of original WWI artifacts, such as uniform items, trench art, WWI propeller, and an authentic piece of fabric cut from a U.S. 28th Aero Squadron airplane.
Josef Otmar
Born in Australia to Australian-Czech parents, Joe emigrated to America in 1959. He is father to one Veteran and two children currently serving. He “is proudly American and exercising his God-given freedom in the best nation on Earth!”
Jeremy Bowles
Jeremy is a native of the Dayton, Ohio region, known amongst his comrades as the “Dayton Doughboy.” He has reenacted for over a decade, and worked as an WWI historian for various organizations such as the Veterans Memorial Museum Foundation in Germantown, Ohio.
Descriptions of Presentations:
**All times are tentative and subject to change
“The Lost Battalion” (Robert Laplander) Friday 11:30 am, Saturday 2:30 pm
The “Lost Battalion” was a unit composite group members from the 307th & 308th Infantry Regiments of the U.S. 77th Division. Cut off and isolated by the Germans in the Argonne Forest, discover efforts to locate them, and the events that followed.
“Doughboy MIA” (Robert Laplander) Friday 2:30 pm, Saturday 10:00 am
Learn about the tireless and ongoing efforts to locate the remains of nearly 1,184 US Servicemen from World War One, who to this date are still unaccounted for.
“War Stories and Why They Matter” (Josef Otmar) Friday 10:00 am
Through learning about one family’s World War I history, deepen the knowledge and importance of your own family history! You will be ready to start researching after listening to this captivating presentation.
“The Vickers: Grand Old Lady of No-Man’s Land” (Josef Otmar) Saturday 1:00 pm
Learn about the Vickers machine gun, called the “Grand Old Lady of No-Man’s Land.” Used during the Great War, this weapon’s creation and evolution would forever change the face of warfare.
“WWI Artifacts” (Robert Kasprzak) Saturday 11:30 am, Sunday 10:00 am
Listen to this “show and tell” featuring a variety of original WWI artifacts, such as uniform items, trench art, WWI propeller, and an authentic piece of fabric cut from a U.S. 28th Aero Squadron airplane.
“History of the Great War” (Jeremy Bowles) Friday 1:00 pm
Learn how the First World War started, how it was fought, the Americans became involved, and how this four-year conflict ended, changing the world forever.
“WWI Through Their Eyes” (Jeremy Bowles) Sunday 11:30 am
Listen to the personal stories of several veterans, whose lives were impacted and changed from their experiences in the Great War. Through extensive research, the past comes to life again, and reminds us of a generation who fought in a global conflict.