Cliff Stearns: “a little over a month ago I brought to the attention of my colleagues the deteriorating state of the Lafayette…”

“a little over a month ago I brought to the attention of my colleagues the deteriorating state of the Lafayette- Escadrille Memorial, which honors all United States aviators who flew for France in World War I. On June 17, a wreath laying ceremony will take place at the memorial to commemorate the 85th anniversary of its dedication. Tomorrow I will be introducing a resolution in honor of the 68 Americans who were memorialized or buried on the site and to honor all our fallen aviators of World War I. In addition, the resolution will express support for the funding needed to restore this hallowed site. In a poster right here, this storyboard depicts the history of the Lafayette-Escadrille and their 'Heritage of Valor and Sacrifice.' Seven Americans formed the original American squadron. When the Escadrille, which means squadron, transferred to United States command in 1918, 265 American volunteers had served in the French Air Service with 180 of those having flown combat missions. In all, the Escadrille flew 3,000 combat sorties, amassing nearly 200 victories. In fact, the Escadrille became the birth of the United States Air Force. A joint French-American committee was organized at the end of World War I to locate a final resting place for these American aviators. With the land donated by the French Government, the Lafayette-Escadrille Memorial was dedicated on July 4, 1928.”