Christian Morisot
In a book entitled “From the White Kepi to the Blue Helmet,” one of our comrades, a Legion officer, explains what prompted him to take early retirement: he couldn't accept the missions assigned to the Legion for the benefit of the UN.
Armed with this irrevocable decision, our friend took to the sea and sails the oceans, carried by the wind to a place he finds more acceptable.

Since then, after meeting him several times, I've done some research on the UN, the object of his resentment.

In reality, the United Nations is a new way of practicing the world's oldest trick: the politics of alliances, the politics of blocs. This is called idealism, cloaked in a veneer of apparent goodwill, humanism, and a supposed commitment to defending human rights, which makes this policy particularly odious. Read more...

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. Read more...

By Christian Morisot
Legion veterans, like others, often, aided by nostalgia, tend to succumb to the "things were better before" or "in my day" mentality... We can laugh about it. Active duty personnel certainly do this, but still…
Like any living organism, the Legion cannot and must not remain static. It must constantly adapt to new standards, regulatory changes, the evolution of the society around it from which it draws its human resources, and the inevitable march of time… One of its main strengths, it has always seemed to us, is the considerable weight of its traditions which, like the philosopher's stone meant to transform base metals into silver and gold, transform, through a unique alchemy, the human diversity that comes to us from the Legion units. Therefore, "More Majorum!" "In the manner of our ancestors" is, as everyone knows, the motto of two of our regiments, and not the least of them: the glorious Demi-Brigade and the equally famous 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2nd REP). The monuments of these two regiments bear witness to this. But still…
The veneration of our elders and the transmission of traditions guarantee a mindset that, embracing both modernity and change, results in the esprit de corps that so many envy… But still…
Without any nostalgia, but with clear-sightedness, we are astonished by certain facts that would once have offended the intelligence and decorum of the Legionnaires and that today seem to have quietly crept into people's minds. Read more...

By Antoine Marquet

I just read on Facebook the dismay of a former platoon leader who "dared"—poor fellow!—to politely offer his opinion on another veteran's page about a general highly regarded by that veteran. He was immediately insulted, harassed, and then blocked, without even being given the right to reply. A fine display of open-mindedness toward a fellow legionnaire who served under the general in question, while the one who was crying out like a startled virgin was already retired… and undoubtedly less entitled to give his opinion. The triennial congress of the FSALE and its affiliated associations was held this summer at the 4th Foreign Regiment, the Legion's philosophical crucible, where the common herd who had the courage to "walk through the door" is transformed into a legionnaire. Then, within his future regiment, he becomes a seasoned soldier, hardened daily by demanding training that prepares him for the toughest battles.

Then comes the return to civilian life. A new world opens up to him, and he can, if he wishes, join an association of former legionnaires.

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By Captain (ER-TE) Louis Perez y Cid

We are full-fledged officers, drawn from the ranks, volunteering as legionnaires and selected from within the Legion itself. In short, "home-grown" officers, deemed reliable.
Since its creation in 1831, the Legion has had to appoint Off-TEs. In 1832, experience showed that selection by rank was effective. This tradition continues to this day.
Our existence has, among other benefits: allowed young legionnaires to find someone who speaks their language, and offered the most ambitious the hope of a career based on merit.

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What I learn from my illustrious elders, these old legionnaires, discreet and modest in light of their military experience, is the need they feel for what they call "prioritizing the Brotherhood." This intimate and vital need to give meaning to what they have experienced and to what we are experiencing. Especially when we are confronted, and this is increasingly the case in our contemporary world, with absurd and difficult-to-accept situations.

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First and foremost, this text is not intended to fuel controversy or challenge institutional decisions regarding the symbols of the Foreign Legion. It is intended, above all, as a historical and memorial reflection on an emblem that, over the decades, has acquired a symbolic significance far beyond its simple uniform.
The green beret is a powerful marker of identity, tradition, and sacrifice. Evoking its history means evoking the journey of generations of legionnaires, both French and foreign, who have contributed to building its legend. This is therefore not about judging contemporary usage, but rather about recalling the profound meaning and origins of this symbol, forged through hardship and combat.

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The anniversary of the end of the First World War is coming up. November 11, 1918. On that day, the armistice was signed at 5:15 a.m., marking the Allied victory and the total defeat of Germany.
In fact, the "ceasefire" took effect at 11:00 a.m., prompting peals of bells and ringing throughout France, announcing to the population the end of the war that left more than 8 million dead, disabled, and maimed.

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This year, our association once again participated in the 83rd anniversary of the deportation convoys from the Milles camp to Auschwitz, presented as a "duty to remember."
But what does this expression, often heard during ceremonies on July 14, November 11, or at Camerone, really mean?
Are they right to speak of a "duty to remember"?

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How many people are there who consider themselves unimportant, who hope to rise in the social ladder and are crushed by communities that won't give them the slightest chance?
This woman had left such a vague impression that no one even remembered her name in the community where she had stayed as a legionnaire's companion.
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Director of the Foreign Legion's Institution for the Disabled in Puyloubier, my duties required me to make numerous visits to the various workshops. During one of these visits, I visited my friend Louis, who was the head of the ceramics workshop...
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The LÉGION ARTS association website officially opens today.
Légion’Arts Éditions specializes in the creation, promotion, and distribution of books, comics, and graphic novels dedicated to the Foreign Legion. Read more...