Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. accepts a pin from the French Air and Space Force’s Fighter Squadron 2/4 Lafayette. (U.S. Air Force photo)Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. accepts a pin from the French Air and Space Force’s Fighter Squadron 2/4 Lafayette. (U.S. Air Force photo)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

CSAF receives prestigious French Air and Space Force awardPublished Aug. 30, 2021
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. Joshua Dewberry
                    
                    
                    Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
            **WASHINGTON (AFNS) --**Air Force Chief of Staff **Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.** was ceremoniously conferred a pin from the French Air and Space Force’s Fighter Squadron 2/4 Lafayette.
Brown now joins the ranks of the only two other Americans who have received this distinguished gift – President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart.
On April 18, 1916, the American Escadrille N124, later called the Lafayette Escadrille, was manned with 38 U.S. volunteers under the command of French air force Captain Georges Thénault. The group, mostly filled with American aviators, fought for the French during World War I.
“The pin the escadrille presented to me is part of a 105-year, proud tradition, and this honor represents a strong bond between our two nations,” Brown said.
The recognition from France, a strategic and critical partner in the European theater, honors the incredible individual achievements and contributions Brown has made to advancements in aviation.
Brown was also presented with a painting of Eugene Bullard, by Béatrice Roche Gardies, an award-winning French artist.
When WWI started in 1914, Eugene Jacques Bullard, an American living in Paris, enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and rose to the rank of corporal. In August of 1917, Bullard became the first African American military pilot to fly in combat. He was one of only a few African American pilots who fought in World War I.
For his bravery, Bullard received the Croix de Guerre and other decorations.
After the war, Bullard remained in France as an expatriate. When the Germans invaded France in May 1940, the 46-year-old Bullard rejoined the French army. On Sept. 14, 1994, the secretary of the Air Force posthumously appointed him a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
“I’m humbled to receive these honors,” Brown said. “Heroes like Eugene Bullard made incredible advancements to aviation and paved the way for so many."
The painting of Bullard will be displayed in the Pentagon, as part of the Department of the Air Force Art Collection, for the next three years.
More information about Bullard, is available **here** and **here**.AFWN 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



CSAF 



Air Force Chief of Staff 



Gen. CQ Brown Jr. 



French Air and Space Force 



award 



Eugene Bullard 



WWI 



World War I 



fighter pilot Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil