"Lafayette, we are Here!"

Picpus Cemetery, Paris, 5 September 2026

As a young Frenchman, Lafayette crossed the Atlantic to join a revolution that was not his own. He served beside our Patriot ancestors, became a trusted friend of Gen’l George Washington, and helped secure the independence of the United States.

But there is another remarkable American story associated with this place.

In 1917, as American soldiers led by General John J. Pershing arrived in France during the First World War, they marched through Paris to Lafayette's grave. Standing here, Colonel Charles Stanton delivered four words that have echoed through time and American history:

“Lafayette, we are here!”

It was a simple acknowledgement of a debt between generations and between nations.

Lafayette had come to America in our hour of need.

Now Americans had returned to France.

Today, more than a century later, the Sons of the American Revolution returns to this sacred place (photo). From L-R, past President General Michael J. Elston, current President General W. Allen Greenly, past Sgt Maj John Champe Chapter President Ken Bonner, and Delaware SAR President Troy Foxwell.

We remember Lafayette. We remember the friendship he helped forge between our nations. And we remember that the cause of liberty must be carried from one generation to the next.

Lafayette, we are here. And we still remember.