About Us

Jean-Claude Lemaire was born on March 14, 1939, in the 15ᵗʰ arrondissement of Paris. After a professional career as an executmonaive in an American bank based in Paris, he dedicated his retirement to preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the Monument.
From 1966 to 2013, he served as secretary and then secretary general of the “Fondation du Mémorial de l’Escadrille Lafayette.” He organized commemorative ceremonies and oversaw maintenance of the site, an organization devoted to honoring the legacy of American volunteer pilots who served under the French flag during World War I.
In addition to his administrative role, he was also the official photographer for The « Mona Bismarck Foundation », an American cultural center
between 1987 and 2008. Both foundations shared the same president at the time: Mr. Russell M. Porter.
Jean-Claude also contributes as a writer, having authored three full-length works dedicated to the history of the Mémorial de l’Escadrille Lafayette in Marnes-la-Coquette. One of his books was selected as a “Readers’ Favorite” on the Édition999 platform, under the title Les Clefs du Mémorial de l’Escadrille La Fayette.

Finally, I would like to sincerely thank my two co-authors, who provided their spontaneous assistance and encouragement for the whole work:

• Roger DESHAYES 

his website : 🔗 www.lafayettememorialclefs.org

• Eugene JOHNSON

(see acknowledgments at the end of the last volume)

🔹 For technical reasons, the fourth volume was split into two parts as it was too large for the publisher.
🔗 https://www.edition999.info

Through his writings and often unique archival photographs, Jean-Claude Lemaire plays a key role in preserving the memory of the Mémorial de l’Escadrille La Fayette for future generations.