Note: This item is currently in storage.
In late 1917, due to the lack of suitable training facilities in the United States, a contingent of some 500 Americans were sent to Foggia, Italy, to learn military flying. After completing their training, the new pilots were commissioned in the Army Air Service, and the majority of them were sent to France to serve with the American Expeditionary Force. While many of the Foggia graduates were transferred to the Western Front to fly with the AEF, about 75 remained in Italy. Lt LeRoy Kiley was one such pilot, and he became one of the first American pilots to cross the Italian Front during the war, flying with the 8th Squadron of the 4th Group, Italian Air Force.
Click here to return to the Featured World War I Artifacts index.