Dr. John Dirk Wassner has returned home after spending nine months in Afghanistan providing medical care to troops fighting in Operation: Enduring Freedom.

On Thursday, he will speak at NIU.

Wassner and his team were involved in the largest humanitarian mission in Afghanistan, said Cindy Ditzler, publicity chair for The Friends of the NIU Libraries.

Wassner will lecture about his experience in Afghanistan at The Friends of NIU Libraries’ first program of the academic year at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Montgomery Hall’s Terwilliger Auditorium.

At the program, Wassner, who also is a general surgeon and senior partner with Kishwaukee Medical Associates in Sycamore, will discuss his activities as a doctor in the Army Reserves and commander of the 909th Forward Surgical Team, Ditzler said.

His PowerPoint presentation also will cover his involvement in humanitarian missions for the Afghan people.

The lecture, which is expected to last 45 minutes to an hour, is free, Ditzler said. Discussion and refreshments will follow.

The Friends of NIU Libraries has been in operation for 20 years. It is a non-profit support group that provides money for the purchase of rare books and manuscripts that the library cannot afford.

Member contributions, the Library Endowment Fund and sponsorship of memorial and honor programs makes this event possible.

“Because these purchases are rather expensive, they cannot be purchased through the regular library budget,” Ditzler said.

One book purchased by the organization was “Memoir and Poems of Phillis Wheatley, a Native African and a Slave,” written by Phillis Wheatley.

The book cost $3,000, Ditzler said.

The Friends of NIU Libraries usually offers four to five programs a year, Ditzler said. The next program will be by Verlyn Klingenborg, titled “The Conscience of Nature.”

“The turnout for the programs usually depends on the topic being discussed,” Ditzler said. “The lineup for this year’s programs are interesting and timely lectures, so we are expecting nice turnouts.”