I have so far read 3 excellent books on the legion, 1) Iron Circle by Dominique Vandenberg, 2) Tony Sloane 3) Evan McGorman how to join.
What gets me is the sheer monotonous life they lead, akin to a warrior priesthood life experience.
5 years of spartan, rough and hard living conditions.
Physical and mental punishments, conditioning and "beastings".
You would have to be physically tough, mentally rock hard and insane to put up with this for 5 long years. Don't get me wrong, I tip my hat to those lads but really what's the point? Who are they trying to prove a lesson to? Themselves? Does joining the Foreign Legion make you a better person? Some of the writing was smug, as though joining the legion was somehow above "ordinary" people.
Slaone writes that he was special for killing a goat adn most people in a supermarket buying meat had never slaughtered an animal? How would he know this? Army life is tough, yeah I agree but does it make you a better person because you can slaughter a goat? or eat sardines raw? Or jump out of an aeroplane or tour a part of Africa not on any tourist destination and then exploit the locals there.
Do you need to join the legion to help local africans get medical help? no, do you need to join the legion to spend 1 week in the bars of Calvi? No, yet sloane writes that it was somehow a privilege to attract girls in his uniform and then drink and beat his way through every bar. In England that's called being a lager lout, that's not honourable.
I once held thoughts of joining the legion, now after reading those books i'd rather join a local soccer hooligan gang, at least you can leave anytime you wanted.
I joined and left the british army, why? Because I thought it would lead me to new adventures, yet I found bullshit, beastings, plenty of "corvee" and very little soldiering.
The legion probably do a great job in keeping peace in remote parts of French colonial Africa but outside of this minor role, they are overrated and slightly pretentious in their training.
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