By Louis Perez y Cid
Apparently, there are women.
The news is circulating, half amused, half scandalized. People smile, snicker, and are already making judgments. The term "women's section" is thrown around like an administrative anomaly or a lapse in taste.

We know a lot. Except, precisely, what it's about.
So, before judging, perhaps we should have looked.

But looking forces us to understand. And understanding, sometimes, is unsettling.

Each association is a territory. A geography, its members, its customs. Some live in the shadow of a regiment, others survive in the isolation of a department, or even a foreign country. Yet all pursue the same goal: to strengthen bonds, maintain camaraderie, and promote the Legion.

At the Puyloubier Veterans' Association, at Captain Danjou's estate, at the Institution des Invalides, nothing more is being done. But it's being done differently. And above all, it's being done quietly.

Contrary to what some might imagine, nothing here has been abandoned. Neither the spirit, nor the high standards, nor the hierarchy of responsibilities. Reality has simply taken hold, and it never asks for permission. ... Read more...

After several years of losing touch, a twist of fate brought us together again, and naturally, we shared a few confidences, particularly about the good times we spent together in the Legion.

A passionate painter, Paulo lamented, undeniably, that his work hadn't brought him the recognition he desired and felt he richly deserved. He had recently been reborn after the success of an exhibition, but the visitors' reactions unsettled him more than he should have. Somewhat withdrawn from the world, he had decided to be self-sufficient. Then one day, while looking at one of his canvases, he wondered: “Is it really worth doing this? Why on earth do I paint these pictures? Does painting help me with anything other than distracting myself and passing the time?”

These thoughts disrupted his work to such an extent that he stopped painting altogether, and there was our friend, wandering aimlessly, guided by chance, frequenting all sorts of bars. Feeling lost and unmotivated, he wondered why he had ever started painting. He fondly remembered that he had been driven by the desire to establish a kind of relationship, a beautiful communication, between himself and the world. By painting his figures and landscapes, Paulo sought to express his inner self and hoped that those interested in his work would recognize his innermost being, hidden within him, so that they would see him as a man imbued with a new vitality and generosity... Read more...

By Christian Morisot

Legionary Mutual Aid
Legionary mutual aid had become a priority for the General. It was essential to defend and implement the idea that the "released" soldier could find work, a crucial element for their successful integration into a civilian world unforgiving of the unprecedented economic crisis it was experiencing.

However, this mutual aid effort proved more complex to organize than anticipated, and the first and most significant difficulty was raising the necessary funds, without which no social action is possible.
Captain Rollin, concluding a second study, believed that social action could only be sustained if: it became a priority mission and, above all, if it was completely independent of the veterans' associations and societies, which were unable to unite, competed clumsily with one another, and, most importantly, failed to organize themselves.

Based on this observation, the guiding principle for the General materialized in the following actions:...Read more...

By Christian Morisot
Louis offers us a beautiful reflection that touches on a real controversy: the place of women within our veterans' associations. I am reminded of the reaction during the vast period between the two World Wars, when a married man could not be considered a good non-commissioned officer in the Legion simply because he was "handicapped" by having something to lose, which placed him on the margins of what was expected of the legionnaire's ferocious fighting spirit and his disdain for death.

In a book about the wives and partners of legionnaires, "Valiant Women," Maylis Lardet and Marie-Laure Vincensini present a testimony that brings to light those who are in the shadows of the light within our community, our "Legion family."

Another book: "Dad, Why Are You Leaving?" Marion Maloigne's statement also answers a question posed by a child in an essential dialogue between parents and children.

But let's not get sidetracked; PyC, in his remarks, justifies, defends, and explains the reasons for a women's section within the association he presides over. This initiative is, in fact, a reaction, among other things, to a text written by an officer, the regional delegate of the FSALE (Federation of Former Legionnaires' Associations), who outlines a vision of veterans' associations that seems, as Antoine Marquet so aptly puts it, "frozen in the cement of the last century, while the world has shifted into hyper-connectivity and individual autonomy." ... Read more...

By Christian Morisot
I received as a gift the book "The Collection of Legionary Songs," published by the company "D'un autre ailleurs" (From Another Elsewhere).

Legionary song is a living tradition with global reach. The French Foreign Legion stands with them at the crossroads of military history and human fraternity, embodying a unique spirit.

I have kept some songbooks and, as a result, I have observed an evolution in the songs recorded. While it is true that song plays a role in fostering cohesion, it is important to note that it is above all an ancestral practice with a beneficial influence on the individual, an influence that is amplified when they are in a group. Song presents itself as a collective harmony that acts through time; the singer is thus in communion with all those who have performed the songs before them, the forces of the past helping them to face current challenges. ... Read more...