Green and Red Isn't Working

By Antoine Marquet

It's probably age that's taking its toll…
Or, as the Normans say, "a coffin wouldn't recognize its own kind."
Recently, I wrote a post about the green beret. Many veterans—and not-so-veterans—are surprised to see this beret, born in the mud of rice paddies and the blood of battles in the Far East, now being given to reservists and even, without any hint of misogyny, to female personnel.

This now seems to be accepted; and yet, in Indochina, the indigenous fighters, who shed their blood in the Legion's ranks during the deadliest battles, were only allowed to wear the white beret.

But all that now seems to be nothing more than a trifle.
A new era is dawning: the awarding of the green and red pennant to a non-Legionary unit.

For years, the 5th Mixed Pacific Regiment, predecessor to the 5th Foreign Regiment, included personnel from the Engineering and Ordnance Corps: they wore the green beret.

Later, as the 5th Foreign Regiment, it held sway over all elements of the French Army assigned to Mururoa or Hao, even if these units were not mixed. Thus, a Marine Corps unit and a Signal Corps unit were part of the 5th Foreign Regiment's Signal Corps headquarters. They lived within the regiment like Legionnaire companies, but—proud of their heritage—they kept their regimental pennants in their respective branch colors.

This no longer seems to be the case today.

Take, for example, the 126th Infantry Regiment.

It was formed in 1810 from two Dutch infantry regiments—twenty-one years before the creation of our beloved Legion.
Its flag bears, in gold lettering within its folds:
Berezina 1812 — Artois 1915 — Aubérive 1917 — Italy 1918.
On December 4, 1918, it received the Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 with two palms and the fourragère in the colors of the Croix de Guerre.
On November 23, 2011, it was awarded the Croix de la Valeur Militaire with bronze palm (Operation Pamir – Afghanistan).

And the decision of January 9, 2025, awarded it again the Croix de la Valeur Militaire with bronze palm for Operation Serval – Barkhane.

“Proud and valiant”: such is the motto of the 126th and its White Bisons, and the regiment’s history can indeed make its 1,200 soldiers proud.

But now its 1st company has become—for an unknown period—the 1st company of the 5th Foreign Regiment.

And now its company commander received, on November 6th in Mayotte, a green and red pennant, identical to those of the “white kepi” companies.

The public account of this event—published online—states that this company will serve with “Honor and Fidelity.”

I don’t doubt it for a moment, but I simply note that their flag bears, like all regimental flags of the French Army (excluding the Legion): Honor and Fatherland. During our time in Sarajevo, I knew and respected General Robert Bresse, then a colonel and commanding officer of the White Bisons from 1991 to 1993. He was a lieutenant colonel who served extensively in the Legion and had commanded a company in the Brive-la-Gaillarde regiment.

Without wanting to start any kind of controversy, I would have liked to know their opinion on this matter, just as I would like to know if a Foreign Legion company temporarily assigned to a regiment of the regular army would agree to march behind that regiment's flag, putting their own away in a drawer? I have my doubts…