Paul Pavelka

Paul Pavelka was an American aviator and a member of the Lafayette Escadrille. He joined the United States Navy as a sailor and served on the USS Maryland (ACR-8). In World War I, his regiment fought in the Second Battle of Champagne. Pavelka then transferred to French aviation, later joining the Lafayette Escadrille in August 1916. He received the Croix de Guerre while part of the French Air Force unit, and was a member of the Army of the Orient along the Macedonian front. On November 12, 1917, while serving along the Macedonian front, Pavelka was killed by being thrown from a horse and trampled.²