February 7, 2007
The wreckage
This is the wreckage and this is all about the Lafayette Escadrille.
Posted at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
February 6, 2007
The men mourned deeply
On September 23, 1916, Rockwell spotted an observation plane while he was flying cover for a bombing raid against Germany. He dived at great speed, closing the 11,000 feet separating the two planes, and fired his gun just before a collision seemed certain. Soldiers on the ground thought that the German Albatross plane had been struck, but it was Rockwell’s Nieuport that crashed into a field of flowers behind French lines. When news of Rockwell’s death reached the squadron, the men mourned deeply. Friend and fellow squadron member James McConnell of Carthage in Moore County later wrote, “No greater blow could have befallen the escadrille.Kiffin was its soul.” Rockwell’s grave in France stands as a memorial to the brave Americans who fought not only for an ally but also for “the cause of humanity” in World War I.
Posted at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
February 2, 2006
Favorite characters
The popularity of Kiffin Rockwell never seems to wane, even after all these years.
I still get messages regularly from kind folks having one thing or another to do with this fine American hero. Here's one I just happened to receive about five minutes ago:
I've sent a message before, but here's my webpage: www.valiantvolunteers.com. See and order my novel there. Kiffin was one of my favorite characters.
Thanks alot Terry.
Kiffin by plane.
Posted at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 26, 2003
Resting place
The last time I was in Luxeuil-les-Bains, I visited the spot where Kiffin Yates Rockwell is buried. It was my second time there to give tribute to this fine hero after whom I am named. This time around I had brought my camcorder and took a short video. For those of you interested, here it is:
The quality of this video is not the greatest, but it is good enough.
Hopefully this video is instructive, not too morbid and gives one a better impression of what it is really like to be there. The video can also be seen on my Kiffin Yates web page.
Sorry, but you need a half-decent connection and Windows Media Player in order to view this.
Posted at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 2, 2003
Brothers Fight for France
Kiffin Rockwell scored the first victory by a member of the Escadille Americaine when he shot down a German reconnaissance airplane.
The Rockwell brothers, Paul and Kiffin, were idealistic that summer of 1914 when Europe exploded into war and the might of the German war machine fell on France.
When Germany declared war on France on the first day of August and sent its juggernaut rolling into the French countryside, 21-year-old Kiffin Rockwell was a student at Virginia Military Institute, and Paul, his 25-year-old brother, was a reporter on The Atlanta Constitution.
For the summer, Kiffin was home in their huge frame house on Hillside Street. On Aug. 1, he spent the evening talking about volunteering to fight for France, explaining that Americans would be accepted in the French Foreign Legion. He was deadly serious.
He called Germany the aggressor nation and France our sister nation that needed immediate help. "We can't sit back," he said, "and let the Kaiser take over the world."
In late July, when Germany's threats hung over France like an axe, Kiffin and Paul, both of whom loved France, had discussed the possibility of going to war if France's fears of a German attack were fulfilled.
Kiffin wrote the French consul in New Orleans, offering both himself and his brother to fight with the Foreign Legion. The consul wrote directly back and accepted the services of the Rockwell brothers. They were to report immediately to New York for embarkation for France.
Paul took his leave from the Constitution and hurried home from Atlanta and after both said their goodbyes they took the train for New York, shipped out for France, and went to war.
Upon arrival in France, Kiffin and Paul were taken directly into the French Foreign Legion. By November they had finished training and were sent into the trenches.
Kiffin wrote home that they were looked upon as mercenaries, but they felt anything but mercenary when payday arrived and they received one sou per day, which was about one American penny. They were paid every ten days, and three sous were automatically deducted for a tobacco allotment whether they smoked or not.
That's how the Rockwell brothers became the first Americans to fight for France, which made them also the first Americans to enter the World War.
Just before Christmas, Paul was severely wounded in trench warfare and was judged unfit for further infantry duty. Because of his journalistic background and his fluent French, he offered himself during his recovery to the Section d'Information of the French Army as a combat correspondent, and was accepted. He spent the remainder of the war in the role of war correspondent.
Kiffin continued to fight. On May 9, 1915, during a bayonet charge at La Targette, a German infantryman ran his bayonet through Kiffin's thigh, ending his fighting from the trenches.
He found something else to do, however, for there was talk of forming an American squadron in the French Air Service. He applied and was accepted, and the remainder of the story is history. He became the first American to shoot down a German fighter plane, and he became an original member of the famed Lafayette Escadrille. His commander, Capt. Georges Thenault, said he could confirm ten kills by Kiffin in aerial combat.
On Sept. 23, 1916, Kiffin received a hit in the chest by an exploding German cannon shell, fired from an enemy plane, and was killed. Paul said many times later than the shell that killed his brother was an illegal weapon.
Paul survived the war and lived to an old age. One of the highlights of my own journalistic career was sitting numerous times in the parlor of Colonel Rockwell's home on Hillside, listening to the yarns he spun about the World War and the daring escapades of the brave young men of the Lafayette Escadrille.
Taken from the article Brothers Fight for France.
You might also be interested in the article Kiffin Rockwell blazed a hero's path in World War I from the same newsletter.
More information can be found on my Kiffin Rockwell tribute page.
Posted at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 5, 2003
Noon Patrol
The Noon Patrol is a chapter project under the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 292 whose main activity is building replicas of the most famous WW1 flying machines like the Nieuport 11.
You might be curious to check out the 13 Nieuports on display.
Nieuport 11.
Posted at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 4, 2003
Special ceremony
The following picture was taken at the most recent general meeting of the Association de l'Escadrille La Fayette, Souvenir Thenault - Rockwell:
This is a yearly ceremony given to the fallen heroes. A speical thanks go to Claude Louvigné (front right of the picture) for being so kind to send me this great snapshot.
You might want to check out my special tribute to Kiffin Rockwell for more information.
Posted at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 10, 2003
The house where Kiffin grew up
This is the house in Asheville, North Carolina where my hero Kiffin Yates Rockwell grew up.
Now if it weren't for Asheville, and if this house had never been built, and if the Rockwell family had never moved here, and if that garden had been planted a slightly different way, would I still be here? What about that tree in the front yard? The one that Kiffin had more than likely climbed alot during his childhood, slowly but surely collecting enough courage as he grew to adolescence, just the beginning of his brave and dauntless adventure at even higher altitudes where shooting down those Germans during WWI was such an important endeavor?
Posted at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
March 25, 2003
Historical marker
I was very pleasantly surprised to receive an email the other day from a fellow Kiffin. There are not that many Kiffins out there, but what can you expect from a unique breed? He is yet another Kiffin who was also named after Kiffin Yates Rockwell. To make the coincidence even more amazing, it turns out that his father also read the very same book "They Fought for the Sky" as my father did. Both of them were so impressed that they decided to name their sons Kiffin. Small world where distant paths occasionally intersect in unexpected ways. Below is a picture that Kiffin took way back in the eighties which he thought I would be interested to see. And I most certainly am.
Historical marker in Asheville, North Carolina.
Posted at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
October 11, 2002
Forty-five again
Alright so what if forty-five seems at first glance to be a nice round number? Divisible by nine and five and three and one. It comes in cycles and it is an interesting experience to be that old yet again. Half of ninety which defines about the end of the cycle whereas nine is only the beginning. A mid-point between nine and ninety, about. At least that is what I have been told.
Posted at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
October 3, 2002
Ordered books
Since my birthday is coming up soon, I decided to order two more books from Amazon in the hopes that my shipment will arrive in time for the big event. They've got less than nine days, but so far I have never had to wait more than a week. Now I will tell you which two books I ordered if you promise not to make fun of me. The titles are:
- The Java Programming Language by Ken Arnold et al.
- Effective Java by Josh Bloch.
I figured that I have pretty much learned enough about HTML, Javascript, XML, CSS, Perl and CGI that it is time to take the next jump into the most obvious domain about which I need (would like) to be more knowledgeable. I have heard so much about the wonderful world of Java and at the same time know so very little about it. Time to expand my knowledge another slight click. Is this a sign of getting senile, crazy, too old for this stuff or am I simply a born techie guru type at heart? Take your pick. Any way, the books will add a pleasant counterweight to whatever it is I am planning to do in the not so near future.
Posted at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
September 23, 2002
Carry his memory
"No greater blow could have befallen the escadrille. Kiffin was its soul. He was loved and looked up to by not only every man in our flying corps, but by every one who knew him. Kiffin was imbued with the spirit of the cause for which he fought, and gave his heart and soul to the performance of his duty. He said: 'I pay my part for Lafayette and Rochambeau,' and he gave the fullest measure. The old flame of chivalry burned brightly in this boy's fine and sensitive being. With his death France lost one of her most valuable pilots." Exactly eighty-six years ago to this day, the twenty-four year old WWI hero Kiffin Yates Rockwell met his fate and gave me my name to carry his memory into the future never to be forgotten.
Posted at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 1, 2002
About my dad
I'm Marlies (my webpage here), and Kiffin asked me to write something in his blog. So I'll tell you what I think about Kiffin!
Now kiffin is sitting next to me on the other computer, so I'll tell you only the nice things what I think about him...
America is Kiffin's fatherland, and I'm proud of it that I'm also half American. So this summer we went on vacation to America. If you know Kiffin well, then you can really notice he has a much better mood there, then usually in Holland.
Kiffin also has a very nice website, very big. If you want to know something about him, don't ask him, but just look on the webpage, and you can find everything about him. Actually, if I read his blog, I'm also more up to date about Kiffin. He really wright more in his blog, then he tells personally.
Today we went Golfing in "Moordrecht". If you compare the golf course with golf courses in America this one was very small, but for here in Holland it was a nice one. It was fun, Kiffin bought golf shoes and a golf glove in America, and he also brought his golf clubs back from America, so he was all set.
I don't really know more things to write so that's it!
~~~Written by Marlies Gish
Posted at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
December 8, 2001
Decided to take it easy today
Okay so I decided to take it easy this weekend. First things first. Did not wake up until ten thirty. Ten thirty, that's a record but I guess I needed it. Dreamt I was trapped someplace in a faraway land, and I had to get back home in time. Right away. But the airport was nowhere in sight and to make things even worse I was unable to find my plane tickets. Damn, pretty frustrating. That's why it took me so long to wake up. Good start, but too bad I already missed a large chunk of the weekend during which I had told myself I would take it easy. Would have liked to take it easy. Next step is to unglue myself from the computer, pry myself loose. Difficult. Spend more useful time where I belong. Where I belong.
Woke Up Dreaming by Chad Essley. This is a tip in order to understand a little better what I am trying to get at. Chad is an artist who translates his reoccurring dream of flight and abandonment into a visual, Freudianesque examination of the mind. You might want to check out his homepage Cartoon Monkey. Some pretty neat stuff.
Posted at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 9, 2001
Hello my name is Fiffin
Hello, my name is Fiffin, F-I-F-F-I-N. Now this has to be another first in my life. Allow me to explain. Many moons ago I ordered new business cards which during visits to customer sites is a necessary item to exchange. Of course, these business cards, though they are very important, take forever to get ordered, printed and sent back to you again. So, when out of the blue my secretary called to say that my new business cards were finally ready, I anxiously went to pick them up. Yes. You can imagine my disappointment when I arrived back to my desk, opened the little white container, only to lay my eyes on the following text:
K. F. Gish (Fiffin F. Gish)
Oh well, that's life. I guess I will never get used to people mispronouncing and mispelling my name. That is what makes me special. Just call me Fiffy for short. Oh dear. Too bad that my boss found this episode so entertaining and hilarious that since then he has not stopped calling me Fiffin. Hey Fiffin. How are you doing Fiffin? See you later Fiffin. No, his name is Fiffin. Oh just go and ask Fiffin. Little does he realize hyow much this gets on my nerves. A sensitive subject.
Posted at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 11, 2001
Thanks for thinking of me on my birthday
For those of you who might happen to be reading my blog, this is a special thanks for the people who thought of me on my birthday. Thanks go to: my wife Thea and the kids, my mother, my sister Kathleen and Martine, my aunt Jeanine, my cousines Gail and Sue, my parents-in-law Mr. and Mrs. Karssemeijer, my new boss Wim Hofland, family friend and psuedo-aunt Tante Rina, Lennart's friend Sander Enderink, old Stanford buddy Kevin Kearney, and a friend Koosje van Laarhoven.
Posted at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Forty-four is a nice round number
 Nice round number. |
Posted at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
October 5, 2001
T-minus six days and counting
The magic number divisible by my favorite number divisible by no number is prime...
Posted at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 20, 2001
Today is Kiffin Yates Rockwell's birthday
Today is Kiffin Yates Rockwell's birthday. He would have been one hundred and nine (109) years old had he not been shot down during WWI nearly eight-five years ago, and he had still been alive. Had this been the case (he not being shot down and killed) my first name would have more than likely been something completely different, perhaps even Pierre. If you are more interested in the story of this fine American hero called Kiffin, then please feel free to have a look at my detailed Kiffin Yates web page. Happy birthday Kiffin.
Posted at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 1, 2001
I am not an Einzelgänger
Einzelgänger - What does that German word mean? The reason why I am asking this is because during my farewell lunch with my boss, he was kind enough to give me some advice, eg. words of wisdom for me to carry along with me to my new job. He said that I was an Einzelgänger. So of course I had to look it up, and here are the translations into English:
- mugwump - a person who acts independently or remains neutral, especially in politics. Rate: [8]
- lone wolf - one who prefers to go without the company or assistance of others, also called lone hand. Rate: [6]
- loner - One who avoids the company of other people. Rate: [5]
- maverick - an unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it, one that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter. Rate: [6]
Posted at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
