Reply With QuoteI have a friend whose ex-husband was allegedly expelled from the Legion for brutality! Now that takes some imagining...
Guys,
Was having a chat with a mate the other night who's a bit cheesed off with things and he talked about 'getting away from it all' - mainly jokingly I think.
Anyway the conversation turned to suggestions of what to do - those ranged from just upping sticks and moving/working abroad for a year or permanently to taking a sabatical and going travelling or volunteering somewhere for 6 or 12 months.
One of the more jokey and less appealing suggestion that also came up was 'running away to the Legion' - now I don't know much about the legion (it's along time since I watch 'Beau Geste' or 'Carry on follow that camel!') but I did a bit of digging out of curiosity.
Seems like they still take pretty much anyone between 18 and 40 (unless you're wanted by Interpol) and you still have the option to sign up under another name. Everyone is enlisted as a single man regardless and 5 years is the minimum service and you have to learn French.
Still seems that they basically ship you off to fight conflicts in France's lesser colonies in Africa and South America and still seeing service in Afghanistan at the moment.
Training sound particulalry tough with the discipline being a bit more enforced than the regular army.
So has anyone given this any serious consideration?
I have a friend whose ex-husband was allegedly expelled from the Legion for brutality! Now that takes some imagining...
You don't join to get rich, anyway.
http://www.legion-recrute.com/en/salaires.php?SM=0
Had a friend some years ago, John Young. He was a fairly well known photographer who joined for a spell. He didn't think the training was that arduous. He wrote a book, forgotten the title but Freddy Forsyth wrote the fore-word.
Whoops sorry, just Googled it and it was Len Deighton who did the fore-word, easy mistake;)
Last edited by BrianT; 5th June 2013 at 16:59.
Originally Posted by Glamdring
Don't forget uniforms, meals and lodging are provided.
Yeah salary is rather low compared to other forces.
But if you come from eastern europe or brazil its quite good.
I did some years ago... I've even spoken with a couple of ex legionaires and both mentioned the fact that you should be prepared to sever all the ties with your previous life for the duration of the engagement... And that was a deal breaker for me at the time as I didn't want to disappear from the world for 5 years!
I used to know someone who was in the legion, he was never very forth coming about his time spent serving or why he decided to join. I always got the impression he needed to 'disappear'. I think it appeals to a niche section of society, which does not include me.
Didnt Bear Grylls do a documentary where he put himself through the selection / training regimen ?
Cheers..
Jase
A mate back in training (1982) did one to join. They found out and sent him back. He ran off again, they brought him back. On the third time, both services agreed to leave him, as I suppose he was still sort of on the same side. He went on to be a highly decorated veteran in the Legion.
All the stories about anyone being able to join and 'hide' are a little far fetched.
I believe he did!
In my mid twenties I briefly toyed with the idea of a stint with the British Antarctic Survey, wish I had know.
If I wanted a few years out now I'd go and do animal conservation work somewhere.
You don't have to bring your own gun, do you? :(
There was an excellent documentary on the Foreign Legion on TV back in the late '80s. I remember the English recruits attempting to converse in French with their officers, but the main impression I got was that the whole point of its existence was as a source of disposable men.
Sometime back in the 80's I remember reading Simon Murray's autobiography Legionnaire about his five years in the Foreign Legion, back then it certainly took the legion off my careers list; background info here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Murray
From age 19 Simon served five years in the 2e REP fighting in Algeria against the FLN rising to the rank of Chief Corporal. On leaving the Legion he went on to be an extremely successful businessman and as CEO of Huchison founded Orange which was subsequently sold for $33 billion. Among other things he is now on the board of Richemont SA and in 2004 at the age of 62 was the oldest man to walk to the South Pole unsupported.
Certainly didn't mess his career up much, wish my three years in the Merchant Navy had set me up half as well
Seriously the book is a good read and gives an excellent picture of the Foreign Legion from ground level in the early 60's.
regards
grant
I recall seeing the Legion recruiting office at the Port of Dunkirk many years ago... it was interesting how many young, foreign sailors were going on and out - I assume they were the ones disillusioned with their first ships.
Don't know how I got onto it but a few years ago I found a forum of some sort where there was discussion about the Legion. The chat was between those that had tried and failed and some that had served.
One chap wrote extensively about the training phase that he had undertaken. After passing out or just before, he decided to leave. I remember he wrote quite a bit about a phase of training known as the Farm or it took place at a place with that name. From memory that was the big exercise. He wrote about the initial trip to the barracks to enlist, the various forts they were stationed at during training and general life within the Legion. It was very interesting.
He suggested that it wasn't as brutal as it had been in the past but it was tough enough. I think everyone was entitled to a new identity upon joining and you essentially left your old life behind.
It seems to attract a certain type of personality but they instil a feeling of brotherhood that seemed to last a lifetime. If you wanted to be a soldier I'm sure there are both easier and tougher options closer to home.
I just bought the book. Fighting for the French foreign legion. Memoirs of a Scottish legionnaire. Read the review on book depository. Sounded good. Check it out. Also good YouTube 49 minute documentary on line. Check it out.
Personally not for me. I'm too lazy, like the social life, cinema booze etc . Sounds great and noble and I respect all who do it but no way.
'A Mouthful of Rocks' by Christian Jennings is recommended both for anybody thinking about joining and anybody who fancies a good read.
Just bought, thanks for the tip..Sometime back in the 80's I remember reading Simon Murray's autobiography Legionnaire about his five years in the Foreign Legion, back then it certainly took the legion off my careers list; background info here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Murray
From age 19 Simon served five years in the 2e REP fighting in Algeria against the FLN rising to the rank of Chief Corporal. On leaving the Legion he went on to be an extremely successful businessman and as CEO of Huchison founded Orange which was subsequently sold for $33 billion. Among other things he is now on the board of Richemont SA and in 2004 at the age of 62 was the oldest man to walk to the South Pole unsupported.
Certainly didn't mess his career up much, wish my three years in the Merchant Navy had set me up half as well
Seriously the book is a good read and gives an excellent picture of the Foreign Legion from ground level in the early 60's.
regards
grant
Cheers..
Jase
Whoahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Murray
From age 19 Simon served five years in the 2e REP fighting in Algeria against the FLN rising to the rank of Chief Corporal. On leaving the Legion he went on to be an extremely successful businessman and as CEO of Huchison founded Orange which was subsequently sold for $33 billion. Among other things he is now on the board of Richemont SA and in 2004 at the age of 62 was the oldest man to walk to the South Pole unsupported.
Certainly didn't mess his career up much, wish my three years in the Merchant Navy had set me up half as well
"At the age of 60, Murray completed the Marathon des Sables, a 242 km race across the Moroccan desert."
Read this book twice what a great read
I was reading the Sunday papers a few months ago and his name came up
I googled him and it was the same bloke
Try it what a legend what a life he's had
BTW the book put me off joining at 21 also
I've dived with several ex-Legionnaires at different times and all of them were of a similar ilk: quiet and independent.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
The legion have become more selective about who they recruit .... getting in is no where as easy as it's made out to be ... as times and conflicts have changed they've been able to pick and choose who and how they recruit, especially with the European borders opening and changes in eastern europe.
A friend of mine was backpacking if France 2-3 years ago and he went to the selection session, just for fun. He did not had any intention to sign to the Legion, but he got the free meals and some cash, what Legion pays for the 2-3 days during the selection.
He told me that the it would be quite easy to get in to the Legion. Physical tests were easy (he had to deliberately fail one of these tests because he did not want to get signed LOL) and psychological/IQ tests were nothing special either. There were many candidates from eastern Europe and many of them had been trying to get in multiple times before. Some of them failed the psych tests and some could not run the required distance in running test. One Romanian fellow had failed the running test 5 times before...
My friend was left the impression that Legion wants to take men who get good score in the psych/IQ test and may even give some slack to those who are not so good physically but get good points in IQ tests. They wanted to take my friend in despite he failed one of the physical tests. It seemed that majority of the candidates came from poorer countries and the Legion is not so desirable for men of western countries anymore.
From what he experienced and what he told me, it is nothing extra hard or special to get in the Legion and I think if you are in decent fit mentally and physically you can easily endure the training too. My friend and I are military trained (as if most of Finnish men) so it did not sound anything extraordinary for us.
Last edited by Keke; 6th June 2013 at 11:20.
I read the Simon Murray book years ago and thouroughly enjoyed it (it was made into a film 'Deserter' which is'nt great but better than the reviews would have you believe) quite watchable:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313608/
If you are interested in history of the Legion and want to read a novel, you could try 'Devils Guard' by George Robert Elford. It tells the story of former Waffen SS and Wermacht soldiers joining the Legion after WWII and fighting for France in the First Indochina War. Fact or fiction, it's one of the best books i've ever read!
In answer to your question, before i joined up, i considered joining the French Foreign Legion but was so scared of boats and water, i could'nt get across the Channel. Decided to join the British Legion instead, though i think the training was tougher!
Last edited by Spencer Lee; 6th June 2013 at 13:33.
A friend of mine joined in 1983 having always said he'd like to. I didnt see him again for 3 years, but on catching up with him, he was plainly loving every moment of it. He was always independently minded and self reliant and his experiences seemed to have shown those qualities to be a real advantage. No idea what he's up to now...
There are several militaries around the world that will take international recruits. There is a Spanish foreign legion, but I believe it mainly recruits native Spanish speakers.
I think the US Marine Corps also takes international recruits, but they are reportedly quite choosy if you're not a US citizen or have strong links.
Fanstatic book. Well worth a read.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
In order to enlist in any US military service you must be a legal resident alien, i.e. have a "green card"....
(as well as pass all the usual enterance requirements, such as be reasonalby fluent in English...)
Is that still the case? Does that mean that the Spanish-only (or almost) speakers are turned down?
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
It does indeed Sir as I too knew someone in the 80s went to join, anyway he absconded after 2 years service as he found it brutal in every respect.
Fanstatic book. Well worth a read.
Thanks for that and ordered as my father though not German was in the Waffen SS.
Blimey, that's not something you see someone say every day. Out of interest, what unit was he in, if you don't mind me asking?
As I've written about on here before, my dad was Prussian and in the Wehrmacht from '42-'44, captured by the Americans in Italy, spent the rest of the War in Mississippi and transported to Scotland in '46 as forced labour. He met my mum and stayed.
Going off the OPs topic a bit but was in the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division (Latvian). The Latvians were conscripts, allbeit quit willing following the "year of terror" in 1940 when occupied by the Russians.
He was captured by the Americans at the end of the war and was then offered asylum over here and never saw his family again as unfortunately he died before Latvia gained independance again.
Bear Grylls the Hotel inspector yeah i remember seeing that programme but i saw a couple of minutes of it it was on Discovery Channel.
I've been to the ' Museum of Occupation ' ( think that is what it was called ), in Riga and the displays and accounts of Latvians who had been in the Gulags & imprisoned by the Russians was heartbreaking & depressing.. I can see why they welcolmed the Nazis with open arms - the Russians were a lot worse !
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