France’s Legion d’Honneur
Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Legion of Honor in 1802 to recognize unusual
military and government services. There are five levels: grand croix (grand
cross), grand officier (grand officer), commandeur (commander), officier
(officer) and chevalier (knight). The discipline of the order is governed
by a grande chancellerie (grand chancellery).
The LAFAYETTE FLYING CORPS
During WWI, prior to the US entering the war, in addition to the 38 American
members of the Lafayette Escadrille, a regular unit (N-124 )in the French
Air Service, some 231 Americans volunteered to serve France individually
as aviators in separate French Aviation units. Altogether, they were informally
known as members of the “Lafayette Flying Corps”.
Photos courtesy of Dennis Gordon,
The Lafayette Flying Corps
*Lafayette Escadrille members
| Members of the Lafayette Flying Corps | |||||
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| Jules James BACH (New Orleans, Louisiana) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre |
Paul Frank BAER (Fort Wayne, Indiana) Also awarded the Croix de Guerre, with seven palms, and the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross |
Horace Clyde BALSLEY* (Carbondale, Pennsylvania) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre |
Frank Leaman BAYLIES (New Bedford, Massachusetts) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre, with six palms and one star |
Charles John BIDDLE (Andalusia, Bucks County, Pennsylvania) Also awarded the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart, France’s Croix de Guerre, with four palms, Belgium‘s Order of Leopold |
Pierre de Lagarde BOAL (Thonon-les-Bains, France) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre and the US Purple Heart |
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| William Vernon BOOTH (Chicago, Illinois) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre |
Eugene Jacques BULLARD (Columbus, Georgia) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre, with star |
Hugh Gordon CAMPBELL (Batavia, New York) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with two palms |
Thomas Gantz CASSADY (Freedom, Indiana), Also was awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with three palms and two stars, the U.S. Distinguished Service Cross with oak leaf and, for WWII service, was made Commander of France’s Legion of Honor and received the U.S. Legion of Merit |
Austen Ballard CREHORE (Hackensack, New Jersey) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with two palms |
Charles Heave DOLAN, Jr.* (Boston, Massachusetts) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre |
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| William Edward DUGAN, Jr.* (Patchogue, Long Island) Also awarded Croix de Guerre, with star |
James Norman HALL* (Colfax, Iowa) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre,with five palms, and the U. S. Distinguished Service Cross |
Dudley Lawrence HILL* (Peekskill, New York) Also awarded Croix de Guerre, with star, and authorized to wear the French fourragere in the colors of the Croix de Guerre |
Edward Foote HINKLE* (Cincinnati, Ohio) |
Henry Sweet JONES* (Hartford, Pennsylvania) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with palm and star, and authorized to wear the French fourragere in the colors of the Croix de Guerre |
Manderson LEHR (Petersburg, Nebraska) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with palm and star |
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| Gervais Raoul LUFBERY* (Wallingford, Connecticut) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with ten palms, Medaille Militaire, the British Military Medal, the Montenegro Military Valor Medal, the Great Gold Medal of the Aero Club of France, the Golden Sapeque of Annamite (Vietnamese) |
Carter Landram OVINGTON (Baden Baden, Germany) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with palm |
Edwin Charles PARSONS* (Holyoke, Massachusetts) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre with palm, and Medaille de la Marne |
Norman PRINCE* (Prides Crossing, Massachusetts) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre |
David Endicott PUTNAM (Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with six palms, and the U. S. Distinguished Service Cross |
Robert Emery READ (Franklin, Pennsylvania) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with palm |
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| Kiffin Yates ROCKWELL* (Newport, Tennessee) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre |
Robert Lockerbie ROCKWELL* (Cincinnati, Ohio) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with two palms, and authorized to wear the French fourragere in the colors of the Croix de Guerre |
Robert SOUBIRAN* (Avallon, France and Baldwin, New York) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with two palms, and authorized to wear the French fourragere in the colors of the Croix de Guerre |
William THAW * (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with nine citations (one bronze star, one silver star, and seven palms), and authorized to wear the French fourragere in the colors of the Croix de Guerre, and the U. S. Distinguished Service Cross with bronze oak leaf, the Montenegro Military Medal First class, a special AEF citation |
George Evans TURNURE (Lenox, Massachusetts) Also awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, with three palms and one star |
Harold Buckley WILLIS* (Boston, Massachusetts) Also awarded France’s Medaille Militaire, Croix de Guerre with five palms, and Medaille des Evades |
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