Our Projects
Chapman Field Historic Marker
The park is named for Victor Emmanuel Chapman the first American pilot to give his life in World War One. Chapman was a member of the famed Lafayette Escadrille, those brave American flyers who went to France to defend democracy long before the United States officially joined the war. His aero squadron was named after the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of both the US and France. Chapman was killed in action flying over the battle of Verdun on June 24, 1916.
When America officially entered the war, the Army Air Service named Chapman Field in his honor. The open land was converted into an Army Airfield and used in both World War One and World War Two. During its heyday as a military flight training airfield, among its trainees was the author F. Scott Fitzgerald. Flight instruction there in WWII was provided by Women Airforce Service Pilots (W.A.S.P.), whose commander was the renown female aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran of Florida.
Members attending dedication of Chapman Marker.
Photo courtesy of one of our members.
