Apple TV+ series author coming to OU
The best-selling author behind the new Apple TV+ mini-series “Masters of the Air” will be a guest speaker at Oakland University next month.
As part of the History Comes Alive series, Donald L. Miller will give a lecture at 7 p.m. March 13 in the Oakland Center banquet room
Based on Miller’s book, “Masters of the Air” tells the story of the American 8th Air Force in World War II and the young pilots and crew who flew the bombers that beat the Nazis and helped liberate Europe.
Mike Bylen, president of Bylen Golf Co. in Rochester Hills and board trustee for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, has been friends with Miller for years and contacted him to be a speaker for the series.
“He can take the very complex and put it into terms and narratives that people can understand and find enjoyable,” said Bylen. “He seemed to be a perfect fit for this.”
Professor James Naus, chair of OU’s history department, leads the History Comes Alive series, which has six speakers each year.
“This is a big deal for us as a university to get someone with this level of national prominence to come to Oakland and be part of this lecture series that is 20 years old now,” said Naus. “We are anticipating a record setting crowd and we are excited to introduce people to the series in general.”
The book, published in 2007, focuses on a segment of the military sometimes misconstrued as being safer and above the fray of war.
“I was struck by the amount of casualties the 8th Air Force took,” said Miller. “They lost 26,000 men against Germany and had another 28,000 POW’s and around 10,000 were killed in training accidents. That is the highest mortality rate of any service, including submarine service.”
Miller also delves into the unique world of combat pilots.
“The kind of combat they were experiencing was probably worse than it is on the ground. There are no foxholes in the sky. There are no medics to call,” said Miller. “There is nowhere to hide. You are a target flying in a clear sky.”
“Master of the Air” is currently ninth on the New York Times bestseller list.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
Register to attend at: https://calendar.oakland. edu/history/event/8816history-comes-alive-masters-of-the-air