In remembrance of East Tennesseans who participated in World War One, Blount County Archives will host a screening of the documentary film Valor on Monday, November 13, 7 p.m. in the Sharon Lawson Room. The showing will be presented by filmmaker and author Marc McClure, Ph. D., Professor of History, Walters State Community College.
Valor tells the story of Kiffin Rockwell and his brother Paul, who volunteered for the French Foreign Legion immediately upon the start of World War I in August 1914.
After a year of fighting in the trenches both brothers were wounded. Paul, owing to the severity of his wounds, left the legion and became a war correspondent based in Paris. Kiffin gained admittance into the French aviation division, where he soon became a noted aviator. In April 1916, Kiffin joined a newly formed squadron of American volunteer pilots, which eventually became the famous Lafayette Escadrille. Kiffin became a celebrated member of the American unit as it fought against German aviators for control of the skies during the battle of Verdun in June and July 1916 and in other sectors of the front.
“The Escadrille Lafayette, July 1917”
Images: American pilots and mechanics prepare for daylight raids on German trenches and cities. Petite Sythe, France. WWI. Aug. 16, 1918 © Everett Historical / Shutterstock. Lafayettee Espadrille courtesy of National Museum of the US Air Force.
Open to the public, this program is hosted by the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville. For further information about library programs or services, call the library at 865-982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blounttn.org/197/Public-Library
