Edmond Genet
Edmond Charles Clinton Genet (November 9, 1896 – April 17, 1917) was the first American flier to die in the First World War after the United States declared war against Germany, shot down by anti-aircraft artillery on April 17, 1917.
Edmond Genet | |
|---|---|
Genet while he was flying for the Lafayette Escadrille in France during the First World War | |
| Born | November 9, 1896 Ossining, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 17, 1917 (aged 20) near Saint-Quentin, France |
| Allegiance | United States (1914-17) France (1915-17) |
| Service | United States Navy French Foreign Legion |
| Years of service | 1914-17 |
| Rank | Ordinary seaman (U.S.) Sergeant (France) |
| Unit | French Foreign Legion Lafayette Escadrille |
| Battles/wars | World War I †
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Genet had deserted from the US Navy in 1915 to travel to France and fought for over a year with the French Foreign Legion in the trenches of eastern France. After six months of training, he joined the Lafayette Escadrille, a squadron of fighter aircraft that mostly consisted of Americans. Genet was killed less than four months later.
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