A Destiny of Undying Greatness: Kiffin Rockwell and the Boys Who Remembered Lafayette

As I unearthed the letters, journals and contemporary accounts of these boys, I was struck by their noble courage in the face of what most of the boys bluntly acknowledged would likely lead to their death, repaying the sacrifice of Lafayette. Piecing together the individual accounts of these boys, I began to realize what a remarkable story I had on my hands, a story that deserved to be told, a story of which all Americans could justly be proud.

Indeed, it became clear to me that this handful of boys had helped galvanize their “neutral” countrymen to action – as the world’s first fighter pilots, the boys were lionized in both the Paris and American press and their influence played a real and important role in America’s eventual decision to enter the struggle for civilization on the side of its long-time ally France.

A good number of the boys, including Kiffin, proved the strength of their convictions by dying for France. In fact, Kiffin Rockwell lies buried in a small French town near the Swiss border, under the flags of both France and America.

My exhaustive efforts – one reviewer stated that “the amount of research this all-inclusive work reflects is astounding” – allowed me to write a detailed and fully integrated account of these idealistic boys in both the Foreign Legion and aviation, including their tremendous impact back home, most notably during the presidential election of 1916. Finally, on my son’s fifth birthday, A Destiny of Undying Greatness: Kiffin Rockwell and the Boys Who Remembered Lafayette was published, prompting popular historian Marc Wortman to write that Kiffin Rockwell “finally has the thoughtful and richly detailed biography that his short but full life deserves.”

Researching and writing this book opened up an entire new world to me, as I grasped the enormity of the conflict in which civilization itself was at stake. I learned of the almost unbelievable sacrifice of France and gained a newfound respect for the French people.

But most of all, I learned the true story of some remarkable American boys, and of how the principled actions of a few individuals can influence the tide of world events. Following President Wilson’s belated declaration of war, more than one million American soldiers would cross the Atlantic to help save France. All of them followed in the footsteps of Kiffin Rockwell.

Every American should know and be proud of “the boys who remembered Lafayette.” Undying Greatness tells their remarkable story and provides an additional perspective on our country’s entry and participation in the Great War. I hope it also reminds readers of the debt we Americans owe to Lafayette and France for our own liberty and of how an individual acting on principle can make his own destiny.

Chicago lawyer Mark M. Trapp published A Destiny of Undying Greatness: Kiffin Rockwell and the Boys Who Remembered Lafayette in 2019. Played out against the almost unfathomable carnage of the war, the sinking of the Lusitania, and the election of 1916, his book sheds new light on the unforgettable true account of Kiffin Rockwell and the “boys who remembered Lafayette.” Undying Greatness is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other major book sellers, or through www.undyinggreatness.com.