American Battle Monuments Commission closing Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery crypt for maintenance work

The American Battle Monuments Commission will close the crypt of the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery from Nov. 17 to Dec. 5 for maintenance work.

The Lafayette Escadrille American Cemetery grounds, as well as the visitor center, will remain open. The cemetery staff will be available to assist visitors and answer questions.

Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery is located in Marnes-la-Coquette in the northwestern corner of the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, about 12 miles west of the center of Paris. It commemorates the birth of American combat aviation and serves as a symbol of Franco-American comradeship during World War I. The Lafayette Flying Corps was an organization that just kept a record of Americans flying for the French. It was not an operational unit or a formal part of the French military. It was first owned by the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Foundation but was transferred to American Battle Monuments Commission in 2017.

The American Battle Monuments Commission sites are a constant reminder of Gen. John J. Pershing's promise that, "time will not dim the glory of their deeds."