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So you’ve decided to run away and join the French Foreign Legion? Here’s how.
IO9 ^ | Dec 7, 2012 | Keith Veronese

Posted on 12/08/2012 1:18:07 PM PST by DogByte6RER

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The most exposure I ever had to the French Foreign Legion was when I watched the classic film "Beau Geste" many years ago. Any FReepers with military experience ever serve around these legionnaires? Do they live up to their reputation? Thanks for the feedback.

1 posted on 12/08/2012 1:18:15 PM PST by DogByte6RER
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To: DogByte6RER
Joining the US Armed Forces achieves the same basic goals and you're serving a much better cause as well.
2 posted on 12/08/2012 1:30:09 PM PST by Gay State Conservative (Benghazi: What Did Baraq Know And When Did He Know It?)
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To: Gay State Conservative
Joining the US Armed Forces achieves the same basic goals and you're serving a much better cause as well.

Until Uncle Barack deploys you to Texas to wipe out the rabid secessionists.

3 posted on 12/08/2012 1:33:45 PM PST by Mr. Jeeves (CTRL-GALT-DELETE)
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To: DogByte6RER

I backed down a Legionnaire when I was spending time with the 13th RDP in France, when I felt that he was taking advantage of a much smaller NCO of the 13th, I have always regretted that it didn’t turn into an more interesting story, but it did go a long way to endear me with the 13th though, and it paid for my drinks that night.

I still have my application for the Legion, but what changed my mind was the 5 year enlistment, that was just too much of a commitment.


4 posted on 12/08/2012 1:36:09 PM PST by ansel12 (A.Coulter2005(truncated)Romney will never recover from his Court's create of a right to gay marriage)
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To: Gay State Conservative

I actually seriously considered this after leaving the Army in the mid 70’s. I read a publication back then called Soldier Of Fortune, published by a guy named Robert K Brown (I think), it ran a few articles on the Legion. My wife did not like the idea. End of story


5 posted on 12/08/2012 1:38:45 PM PST by redfreedom (The spineless RINO's have made themselves irrelevent and lost the country for us.)
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To: Gay State Conservative
Joining the US Armed Forces achieves the same basic goals

Huh? A large number of the posters to this thread will probably be veterans of the US Armed Forces who considered the Legion after they were already American vets. Their interest was in the uniqueness of the Legion, not what you think would be basically duplicating their American military service.

6 posted on 12/08/2012 1:46:46 PM PST by ansel12 (A.Coulter2005(truncated)Romney will never recover from his Court's create of a right to gay marriage)
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To: DogByte6RER
While not a direct parallel to the Benghazi attack, the FFL responded to a somewhat similar incident in Kolwezi, Zaire in 1978.

We should have responded with similar force when our consulate personnel came under fire.

7 posted on 12/08/2012 1:47:47 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: DogByte6RER
Do they live up to their reputation?

General Schwarzkopf was made an honorary PFC in the Foreign Legion in 1991. During the presentation he was told if he ever runs into any trouble anywhere in the world, to give them a call.

8 posted on 12/08/2012 1:49:14 PM PST by BerryDingle (I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
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To: BerryDingle

I used to work with a lady whose Son was in the 101st Airborne.

I was talking to him about the invasion of Iraq. His outfit along with the French Foreign Legion operated together in a sweep way to the left of the main attack.

One of the amusing stories he told was they were all eating supper and the Americans noticed the French were about to have a regular feast. Their officer went over to the French and after talking a bit, they swapped meals.

The FFL had MRE’s and the Americans, the feast. He said the French actually liked the MRE’s.


9 posted on 12/08/2012 1:59:07 PM PST by yarddog (One shot one miss.)
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To: ansel12
Their interest was in the uniqueness of the Legion..

Fighting for France is certainly "unique".But then so is trying to remove your own liver with a pair of pliers.I'd never give either activity a second's worth of consideration.

10 posted on 12/08/2012 2:06:43 PM PST by Gay State Conservative (Benghazi: What Did Baraq Know And When Did He Know It?)
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To: DogByte6RER

I ran away when I was a kid and joined the circus. I started out cleaning the animal cages and helping set up the tents and rings and so forth. After a couple of years, they let me sell popcorn and soft drinks. It was a pretty hard life. I usually slept in the straw in the horse trailer. I decided that I wasn’t going anywhere selling popcorn, so I started developing my own act. After a few years, I asked the circus owner if I could show him the act and he said OK. I had taken to picking up the stray cats that would hang around the circus. I had taught them some tricks and formed them into what I called STEVE AND THE ROYAL CATS OF RANGOON. Cats are natural circus performers. Well, the act consisted of the cats doing various gymnastic routines and we finished with a reenactment of Napoleon’s retreat from Russia. The owner was wowed. We did three years on tour with the circus and I saved every dime I made. After those three years, I had really become attached to the cats. They had provided entertainment to millions of people and given me a comfortable living. Some of the kitties were getting on in years and I could see that it was time to leave the big top. Well, the circus was in Louisiana, and I decided to retire the act there. I bought a small place and redid the house so every kitty had their own room. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I came to own a cat house in New Orleans.


11 posted on 12/08/2012 2:16:10 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: Gay State Conservative
I believe that psychologically Legionnaires do not fight for France, they fight for the Legion. During both World Wars, the Legion had internal problems between the idealists who joined to fight for France and the veteran Legionnaires who fought for the sake of fighting and the Legion. The two did not get along at all. This worldview of the Legionnaire manifested itself in the early 60’s in Algeria when many Legionnaires turned on the French government itself, some forming the terrorist OAS, and even attempting several assassinations on DeGaulle.
12 posted on 12/08/2012 2:24:03 PM PST by gusty
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To: gusty
I believe that psychologically Legionnaires do not fight for France, they fight for the Legion.

They kicked some serious butt in Korea also.

13 posted on 12/08/2012 2:33:46 PM PST by BerryDingle (I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
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To: DogByte6RER

14 posted on 12/08/2012 2:41:56 PM PST by concentric circles
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To: BerryDingle

Their commander was Raoul Magrin-Venerey better known by
his nom de guerre “Ralph Monclar”

He took the name to avoid German reprisals against his family during WWII

Supoosedly wounded 17 times

Check out list of decorations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Magrin-Vernerey


15 posted on 12/08/2012 2:51:31 PM PST by njslim (St)
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To: Gay State Conservative

That is two, really stupid posts in a row, that you have made

You are so clueless and uninterested in the legion, I don’t know why you are on this thread.

Rather than troll, why not just read other people’s posts.


16 posted on 12/08/2012 2:57:29 PM PST by ansel12 (A.Coulter2005(truncated)Romney will never recover from his Court's create of a right to gay marriage)
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To: DogByte6RER

A good and long history of the FFL:

http://www.amazon.com/French-Foreign-Legion-Complete-Legendary/dp/161608068X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355007773&sr=1-1&keywords=douglas+porch


17 posted on 12/08/2012 3:09:48 PM PST by dynachrome (Vertrou in God en die Mauser)
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To: DogByte6RER

Great movie...”I promise you”


18 posted on 12/08/2012 3:11:06 PM PST by stylin19a (obama -> Fredo smart)
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To: DogByte6RER

Also a book on Dien Bien Phu which has a lot of FFL history (some still volunteering to parachute in after the battle was lost, but fighting still going on. )

http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Very-Small-Place-Siege/dp/030681157X/ref=la_B000APUSOI_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355007884&sr=1-1


19 posted on 12/08/2012 3:12:09 PM PST by dynachrome (Vertrou in God en die Mauser)
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To: ansel12
Did you just pass gas?
20 posted on 12/08/2012 3:13:20 PM PST by Gay State Conservative (Benghazi: What Did Baraq Know And When Did He Know It?)
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