Two French Rafale jets from the French Air Force have arrived at Norfolk naval air station for a flyover of Yorktown, Williamsburg, and Washington DC. They are joined by a USAF F-22 for the flyover. The Rafale jets belong to the Lafayette Squadron, a squadron with a history dating back to World War I.
The flyover is a showcase of the partnership between the French and U.S. militaries, commemorating the 200th anniversary of General Marquis de Lafayette’s Farewell Tour of America. In 1824 and 1825, Lafayette toured all 24 states in the US. He was celebrated in each city with processions, banquets, and receptions. President James Monroe, a longtime friend of Lafayette, invited him to tour the United States. Lafayette arrived in New York in August 1824, where he was greeted with a salute by artillery. Lafayette visited many places in America throughout his tour, including Mount Vernon to pay respects to George Washington. The tour lasted over a year, and Lafayette returned to France in September 1825.
This flyover also connects to the long-standing partnership between the French and U.S. militaries, forged in the fires of the American Revolution and solidified in the trenches and skies of World War I. The Lafayette Squadron, an all-American squadron within the French Air Service formed in 1916, laid the foundation for American combat aviation. Hundreds of Americans volunteered to join the squadron, risking their lives to fight for freedom alongside their French comrades. When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, veterans of the Lafayette Escadrille helped train new American pilots, passing on their hard-won experience and contributing significantly to the Allied victory.
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