The French Foreign Legion

Ever since I watched a documentary about the French Legion, I've been quite interested in them. It is in a sense, the ultimate collection of mercenaries. Men from all corners of the globe apply, often times to forget and start anew. Why the Legion? Because when you enter the legion, you enter under a pseudonym for at least one year. You give up all your personal belongings, you give up your identity at the door. This is where people go to escape, to be reborn.

When you enter the Legion, you enter as whoever you say you are. Your race is irrelevant. Your religion is irrelevant. Your allegiance is to no country, but to the Legion. Their motto - Legio Patria Nostra (The Legion is our Fatherland) - reflects this. You are free to retain your nationality, but the Legion is your home.

One of the interesting things about the Legion is their strong culture and their emphasis on esprit de corps. They develop a sense of family, of one-ness. You fight for the Legion because everyone their is your brother. You leave no man behind because when someone makes a mistake, everyone is pays the price. Here is the Legionnaire's Code of Honour, which every legionnaire knows by heart:

• Art. 1 - Légionnaire, tu es un volontaire, servant la France avec honneur et fidélité.
• Art. 2 - Chaque Légionnaire est ton frère d'armes, quelle que soit sa nationalité, sa race ou sa religion. Tu lui manifestes toujours la solidarité étroite qui doit unir les membres d'une même famille.
• Art. 3 - Respectueux des traditions, attaché à tes chefs, la discipline et la camaraderie sont ta force, le courage et la loyauté tes vertus.
• Art. 4 - Fier de ton état de Légionnaire, tu le montres dans ta tenue toujours élégante, ton comportement toujours digne mais modeste, ton casernement toujours net.
• Art. 5 - Soldat d'élite, tu t'entraînes avec rigueur, tu entretiens ton arme comme ton bien le plus précieux, tu as le souci constant de ta forme physique.
• Art. 6 - La mission est sacrée, tu l'exécutes jusqu'au bout et si besoin, en opérations, au péril de ta vie.
• Art. 7 - Au combat, tu agis sans passion et sans haine, tu respectes les ennemis vaincus, tu n'abandonnes jamais ni tes morts, ni tes blessés, ni tes armes.

• Art. 1 - Légionnaire, you are a volunteer serving France with "Honour and Fidelity".
• Art. 2 - Each legionnaire is your brother in arms whatever his nationality, his race or his religion might be. You show to him the same close solidarity that links the members of the same family.
• Art. 3 - Respect of traditions, devotion to your leaders, discipline and comradeship are your strengths, courage and loyalty your virtues.
• Art. 4 - Proud of your status as Legionnaire, you display this in your uniform, which is always impeccable, your behaviour always dignified but modest, your living quarters always clean.
• Art. 5 - An elite soldier, you will train rigorously, you will maintain your weapon as your most precious possession, you are constantly concerned with your physical form.
• Art. 6 - A mission is sacred, you will carry it out until the end respecting laws, customs of war, international conventions and, if necessary, at a risk of your life.
• Art. 7 - In combat, you will act without passion and without hate, you will respect the vanquished enemy, you will never abandon your dead or wounded, nor surrender your arms.

Among other things, I also love their assault rifle of choice, the French FAMAS. The bullpup design is not something we see often in active use outside of Europe. I think the Philippines has a couple of units of FAMAS rifles, used by the PNP Special Action Force. 

The Legion has seen extensive service in numerous conflicts all around the world. They've participated in both World Wars, the Gulf War, they've seen action in Algeria, Chad, Afghanistan, Somalia, Bosnia, Congo, Rwanda, and many more. 

You would be hard pressed to find a more storied and romanticized fighting force in the world other than the French Legion. Definitely something you should read up more on.