Presented by Darroch Greer
Over twelve years, Darroch Greer wrote, directed, and produced two feature documentaries on WWI aviation. In these two sessions he will discuss the making of, and then screen, these important films. The Lafayette Escadrille is about a diverse group of American volunteers who joined the French Foreign Legion as the war started, then formed an all-American squadron flying for France until the end of the war. The Lafayette Escadrille became the founding squadron of US combat aviation. The Millionaires’ Unit is about a group of Yale friends who formed an aero club, the First Yale Unit, which became the founding squadron of the US Naval Air Reserve. The families of these men preserved photos, letters, diaries, and military records that played a crucial role in the ability to bring these stories to life.