Books in I Was There Books series

This is the story of the Lafayette Escadrille - one squadron of American volunteers who fought in the air alongside a galaxy of French squadrons between April 26, 1916 and February 18, 1918. Each chasse escadrille was limited to twelve or fifteen flyers any one time. As the fame of the Lafayette Escadrille spread there were many more applicants than the Escadrille could absorb, and so nearly two hundred U S men, in French uniforms, were sent to various French escadrilles and were known as the Lafayette Flying Corps. Their valor and sacrifices equaled those of the volunteers who served in the Lafayette Escadrilles, however, an account of the Flying Corps is not included in this book.

Early on the morning of December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a massive surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Two brief and terrible hours later, much of the American fleet lay sunk or burning; 2,388 Americans were dead; and the United States and Japan were at war. Dozens of children witnessed this pivotal moment in history. And hundreds of young servicemen-both American and Japanese-came of age on this unforgettable day. Now, for the first time, their gripping eyewitness accounts are woven together in a powerful retelling of the events at Pearl Harbor. Award-winning author Shelley Tanaka re-creates every harrowing and heroic moment through the memories of young people who were actually there.