Born on February 3, 1889 in North Carolina. Joined the French Foreign Legion with his brother Kiffin in 1914 during WW1.
From the SmithsonianThe Rockwells None (NASM A-5403-C) Several members of the Escadrille first enlisted with the French Foriegn Legion as early as 1914, including Kiffin and Paul Rockwell. The Rockwells came from Asheville, North Carolina. Their family had military roots that stretched back to the French and Indian War. Kiffin was one of the first members of the Escadrille, and one of the first killed. After his death, squadron mate Raoul Lufbery flew across the German lines, trying to entice German pilots into the air so that he could avenge his friend’s death. Brother Paul Rockwell worked the rest of his life to preserve the memory of the squadron.

FROM FIND A GRAVE: aul Ayres Rockwell was the first of three children born to Rev. James Chester Rockwell (1868-1893) and his wife Loula Ayres (1866-1959). His paternal grandparents were Captain Henry Clay Rockwell, Capt, 51st NC Regiment, CSA, and his wife Sarah J. Powell, of Columbus County, NC. His maternal grandparents were Major Enoch Shaw Ayre, CSA, and his wife Samantha Tyler, of Marion County, SC. Paul was born at his mother's family home, Beechwood, in Marion County, SC. The family moved to Morristown, Tennessee, where his father was a Baptist minister, shortly after his birth. They subsequently moved to Newport, Tennesse, where his father died, and where they were still living in 1900. Around 1909, his mother moved to Asheville, North Carolina. Paul and his brother Kiffin attended Washington and Lee College (now Washington & Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia. In 1914, they were both living in Atlanta, Georgia, working for an advertising firm, and also as journalists. In August of 1914, when the first World War broke out, Paul and Kiffin both immediately went to France and joined the French Foreign Legion.