LE BERET VERT

Enlist in the French Foreign Legion?

Does the French Foreign Legion still exist?

Yes it does... very much so!

But today everything is changing, even the Legion. The desert fort's, combat's and the brutal time in the Sahara's are gone for ever. The camels have been exchanged for forewheel driven vehicles and parachutes.

The HQ has been moved from Sidi-bel-Abbes in the Algerian desert to the less glamourus surroundings in Marseille. Today the Legion lives and prospers in southen France... and in the different outposts in what's left of the French "Empire". What's new in the Legion today is the that all the "volontaires" from english speaking countries, they mostley come from England and the different "white" old colonnies (Kanada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa). These have been flocking to the Legion for the last 10 years. Still, the Legion is dissapointed that there's not enough Americans in their ranks, about 20 (1992) and as such the smallest Englishspeaking group, when you compare to the number of citicense in the country.

Why the "English" invasion?

It seams that Anglo-saxans is not drawn to the Legion to get "a new start", a safehaven or a place to hide on, but it's mostly because of their adventure's lust, the Legion's mystique (the feeling that noone, that those who havn't belonged to "The Brotherhood of Arms", understands), and for the chans to get "some action" (an oportunity that has deminiched in the western armies).

This Anglo-saxian influence gives the Legion more than just "some headache", it seams that the Legion is still adjusting to this recruiting fenomena. Some officers aren't that happy about the "invasion", it seams like some of them don't know how they shall handle these "barbarians". The most of the officers in the Legion thinks that this is a wonderful challange. These Anglo-saxans are considered as "modern barbarians", that if they are handled in the right way will be a great contribution to the Legion.

The Legion has been going out to "fix" France's international troublespots. The 8000 Legionnaire's that have sworn to protect and defend French interrests all over the world, are the best trained, best equipped and without a doubt the tuffest force the French government have at it's diposal, and offcaurse, all are volontaires, an important factor in a country where a vote in parliament is needed to send regular French units.

The ordinary legionnaire is still required to undergo the strictest discipline of all the west european army's, and in the lower ranks the pay and personal freedom is strictly limited, but when the legionnaire have "proven" himself and got the rank of corporal or private first class (after five years as a private second class you get to be privete first class). Them you are a trusted, respected and well payed member of the French Foreign Legion familly. Then you will get all the rights and priviliges that comes with a membership in the most exlusive "mensclubs" in the world. Maby this is why 60% of all those who fullfill their contract (five years) reenlist again.

When you come to a recruiting office in France, you Sign a contract that you are volonering to do five years in the Legion. After that you'll be sent to 1er R.E. (HQ of the Legion), in Aubagn outside Marseille. There you will have to go through a big medical examination. In the following three (or 4) weeks you will have to do several different tests, medical, IQ tests, physical tests and security interviews, dayly boring chores (do the dishes, mopp the floor etc).

The Legion of today is very picky in the selections, three out of fore volontaires doesn't get accepted and will have to go home again, and they can't try again untill after six months. You can only try three times and you will have to be between 18 - 40 years of age. As before the Legion doesn't accept heavy criminal activity, or social misfits that can't adapt. Those who get accepted gets a couple of weeks to think about if they want to stay in the Legion or go back home again. When you have chosen to stay, you'll lose your identity, nationallity, passport etc. Under the first three years of service (without any legal identity), the legionnaire can't do many of the things other soldiers take for granted. He can't open a civil bankaccount, he can't own a car or motorcycle, or even rent a car.

During the first two years he's not likely to get a leave from the Legion, (personnaly I didn't get more than fore hours leave to go to Castel, during all of the basic training). The company building is scrubbed three times a day, everybody is acounted for morning and night, lights out at 2200 hours. You will also get to do kitchen duty, cleaning duty, guard duty etc, during all of the basic training, so just get used to it.

When the Legion has desided to accept you as able to do the training as an "engage volontaire", you will get a tailoraltered uniform and equippment, this is your "paquetage" and is worth about $2000, and it contains all the legionnaire will need for the first five years. Then the future legionnaire is sent by train to the farmersmarket in the town of Castelnaudary (between Carcassonne and Toulouse).

"Castel", as the Legion calls it, is the hometown of 4em R.E. This is the school of the Legion, it's here that the Legion traines it's recruits, specialists and it's officers. "Caserne Quartier Danjou" is situated about 5 kilometers outside of Castel, and in the towns center is "Caserne Quartier Lepasset", this used to be the legionnaires home, now they have their quarters in Caserne Quartier Danjou.

LE KÉPI BLANC

A LITTLE ABOUT THE TRAINING AT 4em R.E:

All training during the first 4 months and all orders is only given in French, and it's expected that all non French speaking will learn French, you will be pared up with a French speaking, (your "binome"). In the end of the first week, the recruits has been divided up into platoons and groups, they are then moved to the "farm" (4em R.E. have six of them). Each platoon have an officer (Lieutenant or Sergeant-chef), three sergeants and five Corporals as instructors.

Each of these platoons is selfcontained and do their own thing without interfearing from 4em R.E. for the first month. During the first month the recruit will learn the basics of military training, to "strip", reasemble and clean the different weapons they will use, and physical training. At the end of each week, the legionnaires go on a marsch with full combat load, the first week you go 10 km, the second week 15 km, the third 20 km, the forth 60 km (This marsch is done in two days).

The recruit returns to 4em R.E. very tired at the end of their 60 km marsch, the same evening (or night) they will meet their Colonel (chef of 4em R.E.), and their Captain (compamy commander), in parade uniform for the first time, with flaming fires and a honnour guard, by the old castle. The hole atmosphare reminds of ancient times.

At this very symbolic, nightly ceremony, the legionnaires will for the first time put on the "Képi Blanc" (the most famous symbol of the legion), and is welcomed into "La Légion Étrangère", the Colonel tells them in serious words that they are not alone in thte world anymore, and that they now are members in a very special familly. The ceremony ends with a lot of food, drink and songs around a big fire.

Training in the second months takes advantage of the heavy support and sophisticated training facilities, such as classrooms, indoor and outdoor electronic shooting ranges, etc. Located at the Caserne Quartier Capitaine Danjou military complex. The recruits also learn the rudiments of hand-to-hand combat, parade ground drill, the obstacle course (500 meters and 16 obstacles done in 5 minutes or less) and weapons training. The basic fire-arms are the "FAMAS" (select-fire 5.56mm automatic assault rifle), which also fires rifle grenades and have a bipod. "FRF1" (Sniper rifle), "AA52" (7,5mm machine gun), "MAC50" (9mm automatic pistol), "LRAC" (89mm anti-tank rocket launcher), "APILAS" (112mm anti-tank rocket). The recruits must be able to operate and completely disassemble and reassemble all these weapons, and from the beginning it is drilled into the legionnaire how important his weapon is to him and how expertly he must maintain it. Marksmanship training is extensive and varied, from carefully aimed shooting at 200 meters to instinct shooting at moving targets to shooting from moving vehicles.

The legionnaire continue to build up their endurance with longer weekly marches (on average 40 km). Plus there is the famous timed 8 km run with 26 pounds of equipment, the "Combatant's course".

By the end of the second month the strain of constant activity is starting to effect the recruits, and they go for a week to the 4em R.E.'s Mountain Training Centre. The centre is quite "rustic" -comfortable, but no luxuries. This week isn't to sressful, as it is intended to give the recruits a chanse to recuperate in the healthy fresh air and the visually beautiful regions of the Pyrenée Mountains. In the winter the recruits learn to ski. In thte summer they learn to climb mountains. They rediscover the "farm life" of their first month of training and are responsible again for their own cooking, etc. Whem the legionnaires return to the 4em R.E.'s barracks at Quartier Capitaine Danjou near Castelnaudary where their training continues on a more sophisticated level... anti-tank and heavier weapons, mines and explosives, river crossings with ropes and by swimmingwith full combat load, anti-nuclear/Germ/Chemical training and patrolling.

Patrol training is varied and intensive: learning to see and recognise important and/or dangerous situations, how to dig a hole and hide, how to track, reconnoitre, seize prisoners, and evacuate the wounded. In the 12th week the recruit legionnaire has to combine and apply all his training in a 200 km mountain march witht full equipment in four days (the RAID march). It begins with a mission briefing at 4em R.E. where each recruit squad is tasked with infiltrating "enemy" territory to raid an unusually well protected barracks, ammo dump or other installations. They are expected to surmount a variety of tough obstacles, complete the assault, then withdraw, carrying their "wounded" with them and all the time they are pursued by the "enemy" (usually French Paratroopers or other Legion units). When the squad reaches a defensible position, it must set up a defensive pposition and repel the "enemy" until they are picked up by helicopter and returned to "Castel". They will also be paddling the "Zodiac" (rubber boat). The instruction is now over, they are now legionnaires.

During this 15 week training, a legionnaire will have improved his running distance from 7 to 20 km, that is from less than 4,5 to 13 miles. He will be driven even harder. A night run 25 km (33 pound pack), must be comleted in a minimum of 3 hours. He must pass two basic examinations; learn several of the Legion's marching songs; be on guard duty for 192 hours, rotating 2 hours on and 4 hours of; have his hair cut short. Any time spent in the guard house is without pay and is added to his contract.

"FRENCH GUYANA"

AFTER BASIC TRAINING:

When you have done your basic training, you'll be sent to the regiment of your choise or been posted at, there the training continues to different specialists. The training in the Legion is hard but not brutal. A lot has been written about the unnessesary brutality in the Legion, this is pure fantasies, today even the officers will get jail for unnessesary beting of a legionnaire, on the regiment. If you do what your told, you wont get the odd punsh.

Desetion does still exict in the Legion, and many of these comes from the "english maffia". Desertion is the one thing the Legion does not forgive is desertion, it's an act of illojalty. It is to break the sacret oath the legionnaire has taken, to serve the legion for five years. In the French Foreign Legion they say that noone is forced to enlist, but when you have done so, it is expected that the Legion will live up to it's promises to the new recruit, and that the recruit will be faithful to it's new family. When the deserter is catched (by the "headhunters" MP's), it is highly likely that they get beaten up, and then jailed at 1er R.E. (labuor camp for convicts). Then they give you a dishonnourly discharged.

The training in the Legion of today is scientific; a lot of the physical training is put together by doctors, and even the speed of the fitness training is checked by these doctors. There is a "method" behind the madness. As it s now these experts gives the Legion advices on how to get the most out of a normaly fit body, and this is whats happening at 4em R.E. at "Castel".

When a Legionnaire leaves 4em R.E. and joins his new regiment, in France or "Outre Mer" he is assigned to an "old hand", an experienced Legionnaire, as his new "binome".

"LEAVING ALGERIA IN 1962..."