French Foreign Legion | Training to Mali (Marine Reacts) 

When I was in the French navy, we had some excellent relations with Legion. They are respectful, nice, and men of honor. You can have laught with them, they are more humans than civilians. However don’t mess with them, you’ll do it only one time.

Just to add something that is lost in translation, the young man we follow in the first minutes of the video is not "simply" a carpenter, he says he (and his father) are part of the "Compagnons", or "Compagnons du Devoir" which litteraly translate to "the Brotherhood" or "Brotherhood of Duty". Basically, it's a french guild over a century old that teachs to a high level of skill, almost every forms of crafting (metalurgy, woodworking, carpentery, rockmason, etc...). As the name suggest, it's not any class you attend. You are supposed to have worked in differents regions of France or even diffrent countries, during 3 to 6 years acquiring different techniques and knowledge, and presenting your final work that is supposed to be the pinnacle of your skill. A compagnon to a "normal" craftmen, is the same as a spec ops to an infantry soldier. It brings a whole lot of respect. The Compagnons is somewhat the french army of craftmen. If you don't fit, you're out. If you don't follow, you're out. So it's not a far strech from there to the Legion or the army in general.

I remember being on a post at night in Djabouti Africa as a Marine LCpl with another Marine. Two figures came out of the darkness. My buddy and I weren't frightened or alarmed being we were on a training op, but we were curious. The two men on patrol were FFL and spoke French. They smiled and in english, said "Here. Something to keep you awake" and tossed us some cans of beer. Despite being luke warm, after several days in 110f+ weather, they were the best beers I've ever had. The Legionnaires walked off into the dark and we never saw FFL again on that deployment. I don't think I expressed my gratitude as accurately as I wanted but if you're FFL reading this, thank you. You're clearly some cool dudes. Stay safe out there.

True story. Lawrence Franks, West Point grad 2008. He deserted his unit in 10th mountain division in 2008-09 just before deployment. He went to France, joined the Legion, did his 5 years. At end of enlistment he could apply for French citizenship. However, he had to go home and clean up his mess. He turns himself in in Germany and gets shipped back to Fort Drum, NY. I was teaching French at West Point at the time. The lawyers sent me his Legionnaire file. He was a legionnaire's legionnaire. He had a stellar career as Beau Geste. The US Army didn't think so and sentenced him to 4 years. He'll probably write a good book one day. His defense was that he needed a thrill of real excitement to keep from committing suicide.

As a legionnaire we have a saying. Only 3things survive in the desert. Scorpions, snakes and legionnaires

My son is the Legionnaire from Nashville, TN. He is out of the Legion now and has a job with the Dept. of the Interior. I would love for you to communicate with him.

The different accents can only be appreciated by a french speaker, I'm French Swiss and I struggle to understand some of their French. Absolute respect for these soldiers

Légionnaire here actually from America too, the relations we have between the regular army and the legion are quite amazing actually. Everyone gets along well. It's not like marine corps versus us army or anything. We're all on the same team. The only thing that separates us is the color of our beret.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 I joined the legion for 5 year and had the best time of my life..I was 35 years of age when I joined . I was a Royal marine before the legion. I left the marines in search for more experiences in life , the legion fulfilled beyond my expectations.. As a legion I was involved in far more operations and conflict than i had ever been. Legio Patria Nostra. McKenzie clan , Scotland the brave.

I am French civilian. Just wanted to share a word about our education in France. As a kid you learn to respect our soldiers but whoever is a légionnaire is something else. Whatever his origin and his accent, his story a légionnaire is to consider as big Brother. Don't look back in these guy's past and they will protect your future. My father always told me they would be the first to save our ass. Hell they do. I have seen military getting trained in a lot of country. Just a few can reach that level. Profound respect and thanks for these guys.

A former American GI once said, " I joined the French foreign legion because i wanted to be with the best Army in the world "

Hi man, I was in the French regular army 15 years ago. You asked of relatiosn between regular army and legion : they interract perfectly, the Legion is just a special corps within the Army. It is part of the Army 100%. Every branch of the Army has its deep roots and traditions, so every part of the Army is special in a sense. The Legion is just one of them.

We deployed with the legion, top lads, polite, professional, and pretty intense guys.

Scary shit is in Africa and especially in Mali you drive off road to avoid new IED's only to end up rolling onto a WW2 mine.

I was there 2006-2011 never forget that such experiences, miss my old buddies Diaz, Hector, Alexandru and Brian. Je serai légionnaire!!

I was a conscript in the French Air Force, I reached Major Corporal, of course I haven't seen a combat zone I only reached this level out of doing my job correctly. I honestly felt ashamed when these hardcore private legionnaires, who have fought all over the world, were giving me the reglementary salute.

I was in the legion for 3 years and got out on a medical discharge after I broke my leg pretty badly in a training exercise. To answer your question on how the legion interact with the regular French army: We used to work with them every day when it comes to deployment. Every Legion Régiment is attached to a regular French brigade and has it’s own function to fulfill in the field. We respected the regulars as fellow comrades in arms and so did the regulars towards us. When it comes down to the wire, we are all in the same shit.

"the wake up call, is brutal" * literally silence *

Relations between regular french army and legion are very good. I remember very good parties with legionnaires, we respected them and they respected us. I am still friend with one of the 3rd foreign infantry regiment i met when i was in the military. We train and fight alongside the legion so mutual respect is natural. They are very proud to be part of the legion, but every french soldiers are proud of their regiment, they all have their traditions and history, sometimes back to Napoleonic wars and before.

I've been to Mali and it's worse then the Middle East but the FFL are some hard honorable men and demand perfection from all that join them either in unit or operations!!! Semper Fi Legion 🇺🇲🇨🇵

I was in operation with the Legion in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Mali, they are one of the best. Very professionel and very down to earth. I was with the the Belgian armed forces.

I turned 17 the day arrived in bootcamp, my brother got out of the USMarines then tried out for the FFLegion, he spent 10 years as a legionnaire. He came home, got a girlfriend, wrecked his pickup and died at the scene. I stayed in for 20 years.

"It's something that's inside us" That speaks volumes. My Grand Father and my Father knew exactly why I went into the Army.

I was 17 when I went into the US Army. I remember older guys having a tough time of it in basic training. I agree that being young (and dedicated) was a big advantage for me.

Frenchman here, we highly respect our foreign legion ! They are the proof that people can learn and love a country's culture (cause there's a lot about it in the legion) if there's a proper institution behind. Other regiments also respect them just as much as the legion respect other regiments

I wanted to join the Foreign Legion, but i dont think i can handle that brutal wake up call

there was nothing more than DUI with Corporal Brandon I knew him since we were teenagers and talked to him while he was with the legion. He finished his contract and now started a family.

Stayed in Mali for five years. The best way to stay hydrated is to drink hot beverages (mostly tea or hot water). But some months are worse: mid-February to mid-June, temperatures are brutal. Snakes crossing paved roads die midway!

About interaction with the other military groups of France: The Legion is our advance recon on the ground. There's constantly an air patrol on watch for them, there's constantly an Army Cavalry group (aka tanks) ready to catch up to them. They are never too far from a base camp, which is resupplied by our Navy and Air Force supply chains. The days of sending in the Legion first as cannon fodder are over. That said, it's always the Legion that volunteers for front line assignments. They are respected for that immensely. And for an army supply group to go out and bring water to the Legion is an honor.

“On Mars, I mean Mali”

I would love to join the Legion I think it's what I need at this point in my life, a real purpose and a rewarding job.

En tant que citoyenne française j'éprouve un immense respect et un tout aussi immense honneur envers la Légion Étrangère. Je les trouve tout simplement incroyables, inspirant et formidable. Bref j'adore la Légion Étrangère ! 🇲🇫🇲🇫

If you're still in a foreign legion at 37 like Brandon, then you must be a damn good element.

After being in the US Army for 8 years,I gave the Legion 5 years. 2000-2005.

Absolutely great documentary. Thank you so much.

No better way to spend your 20's than in the service - pick a branch and make it so. Imagine a 22 year old sitting behind a desk all day with all that energy and enthusiasm going to waste. Best time of my life...

I can say that the french foreign legion is really respected by the regular french army. The legion is more trained and determined than the regular one. They are also able to be autonimous and being "mac gyvers" if you see what I mean. The legion is honored by the regular army and France so they show respect in return. The relation is pretty good between regular and the legion.

I joined the US Army as a combat medic at 30 years old. I was at a point in my life where I needed to go back to grad school if I wanted to move up in my civilian career and i didn't want the debt. It was also a dream of mine to join and i wanted change in my life so i dropped everything in my life and moved half way across the country. Im 35 now and a NCO and i couldn't be happier with my decision. Workouts never get easier but as long as I stay in shape and eat healthy i have no problem leading my peers from the front.

Thanks for posting this vid!!!

I worked with the Legion as a Marine in Corsica, I loved working with them nothing but respect.

That Tennessee lad is having one hell of a life.

For me it took 13 years to feel like a civilian after 5 years in the Legion.

Some of the toughest, most elite and lethal troops on Planet Earth belong to the REP of the FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION. REP stands for "REGIMENT ETRANGER PARACHUTISTE," which is the Legion's Airborne Regiment. And, guess what?? NO useless Shark Attacks!

Very interesting video ,thank you very much for explaining it 🙏

Listening to you validates thousands of thoughts and feelings I have had since leaving my service. Thank you for making me feel like I am not totally out of this world. I feel normal listening to you discuss well all the things you do.

First 30 seconds made me laugh. That wake up call wasnt brutal. A brutal wake up call is when its 3am and you get lightly shook and then whispered that you have firewatch. You slept so good and warm in that sleeping bag only to have to get up in the freezing cold in your skivvies and put your damp/cold kit on. Knowing that everyone will be up at 0500 and you are phukked on getting more sleep after watch. Now lady, THAT IS BRUTAL!

Love watching your videos cos your comments are on point and short...thank you

After WW2 a lot of former SS troops joined the Foreign Legion no questions asked some even fought in Veitnam for the French .

He is Soldier, not an actor. What does she think?

As a french, I can say that every men who did the foreign legion has a huge respect from their new compatriot. En marche Légionnaire !

12:40 The pleasure when you're back, to be able to appreciate the true value of decent shower, toilets, bed... Man, living for a while without those and then, get them back is a life-changing experience as well.

Hats off to the young boy .He has said his dad is proud .That would do it for me .

Some reflexions here : - The journalist tries to catch the audience : of course it is not "that" harsh to wake up early, it just emphasizes the "different life" they have than some of the viewers. She is however really embbed with the Legion, and a known "front line journalist" (Claire Paccalin) - Legion is pretty much very well respected and welcomed amoung fighting units. Trust-worthy in combat is a good way to discribe how others see them. - Life in that area adapted to those conditions, so civilians usually don't go out around 12.00 to 16.00 if they can. Travel by night and early morning, find a spot, wait until it's cooler. Only people roaming the desert area in full sun have something important to do. -To keep Hydrated : several options, and sweat is the first one : it is a natural temperature regulator (and basically doesn't really work when in full gear), otherwise, water tanks on trucks, and every piece of shade is good to take. - "Local people" in that area is not depicting correctly the situation : different tribes, differents famillies, could choose to support one side or the other depending of tribal matters, traditions, religions or political affiliations (jihadist coming from north africa aren't specially appreciated amoung some black-african tribes, especially in Mali/Niger/Tchad; People from the tribe of the ruling president tends to support him and his allies; large mistrust between sedentary and nomad people, etc) Of course there are money issues, but to see the situation as "who pays more win the locals" is a HUGE mistake. Trying to bribe the wrong guy, or in the wrong way could be a step back. - Using "Napalm" to torch what little "green" is left on this side of the world, and which is used by local communities as a safe spot to rest (see point 3) would surely turn the locals against you. (Tip : don't use napalm or heavy bombing when you try to securize a zone for a long term, I am sure many exemples will come to you!) Sorry for the lenght of it!

A lot of people are going after the whole ‘he’s a soldier not an actor’ . But I think it’s important to remember that documentaries aren’t for journalists (who probably know why they don’t want to talk too much) but are for people who don’t know anything about these branches of the military. By asking him why he won’t talk too much it’s explains to the viewer what sort of mindset those soldiers have.

@Jamesons Travels The Legion is full part of french army. The relations between Legion and "regular" army is very good. They are often supporting each other during missions (one on the south, the other on the north for example), and they are always communicating about ennemies, plans, etc. They even suffer from the same political stupidities.

I have much respect for the Legion, tough conditions to be in, they are expendable by the French government. I have trained with the French army before and much respect to them as well. Semper Fi!

You hit the nail on the head about joining young. I'm 35 this year, and had completely planned on following my father's(and step-father's) steps in joining the military(father was in the navy, step-father the army, both served during Vietnam). I had already begun the recruitment process for the navy, but then the war in Iraq started just before my 18th birthday. My parents said they didn't want that for me, so I backed out and respected their wishes. It's now nearly 20 years later, and I have found myself thinking about my regret for not joining at least a couple times a year for the better part of a decade. Parents mean well, and mine certainly deserved the respect I showed them... but it's their job to raise you in to an upstanding adult, and your job to determine what that means for you. I knew my desire to join was the right thing for me, but I behaved as their child instead of the adult they raised me to be.

To your question about interactions between FFL and other french military units. It's perfectly cohesive and supportive. Even if the FFL stands apart on some traditions and what not, the core training and tactics is part of the french military system. My cousin is Colonel in the French Foreign Legion (We are French). He has worked and trained with lots of other French units, many European, and American units. There is a clear incentive of having all the military branches work in perfect union, of France but more so all Nato members.

The French Foreign Legion has very good relation with all Allied Forces and have the respect and gratitude from the US Military for their "daring actions" against enemy forces, the relations with the French Regular Army as well as other special units in France I guess is great, warfare has changed all units most work and integrate together

The culture of the military and the friendships you make, keep you in. Either you like it or you don't.

When I got home from Iraq I was looking forward to cutting my lawn. I remember the first time I did it was awesome. Smelled the cut grass and lemon scent of my neighbor’s magnolia tree.

When I was in desert storm; I went on a contact mission in the middle of the night (nothing fancy). We didn't have GPS just a polar azimuth and we wound up off course. We ended up at a french foreign encampment at around 0300 am. The legionnaire on guard spoke very good English, was very polite and gave us directions to were we needed to go. He new we were Americans because of the Humve we were driving and were coming in from the south. Very professional. If we came in from the north, it might have been different.

My uncle was in the legion, we don't know if he's still alive or where he is. Like all he did it to escape his past and start a new life, i admire him for his balls i could never do it

My best friend joined the army at 25/26 and is going into his second year, he says its the hardest thing he's ever done. Everyone else are kids that are barely old enough to drink or buy smokes, and have no real idea of the future. So many of them where laughing and excited when they were getting deployed, and all he could think about his wife and my nephew and getting back to them every day.

Once talked to a soldier from the French foreign legion. Most of them have nothing to loose - just something to win. They are tough !!!

I have so so much respect for the FFL. coming from a military background & also serving in a different military for 7 years these guys are so down to earth but really very professional and respected in all military circles heads up guys much respect.

Met an ex marine who enlisted thereafter with the French Foreign Legion. He claims the training Marines endure was just a fraction of the hell Legionnaires go through. IDK

3:30 good point. I'm french, many in my family have been soldiers as a job, some of them even made war. I believe it is useless to say that for us here, "j'ai fait la légion étrangère" ("I've been in the foreign legion") is the most charismatic sentence somebody can ever say. Right away, people see such guys in a very, very, very different way. I'm 42, I know I will never be one of them, but like a lot of men, I wish I could say such a sentence!

You can join the foreign legion up until 40 as long as you’re physically and mentally fit to do so. Also it’s good for the cohesion of the group to have people of different ages. Generally, I like the concept of giving people from all over the world a chance to restart life. Past is past, you go and show what you can do for France.

I heared a story about a french general inspecting the legion. one of the legion stood out, with his charisma etc, so the general asked him: "what did you do before you joined the legion?" and the legionnaire said "i used to be a general just like you." they did a background check on him and found out it was true. the maximum age to join the legion is 39 at the moment.

Jameson, to your statement about food cravings, when i was on my two submarine deployments they fed us pretty good. But for things like coke, sweet things like candy, they would hit me on a different level. You're so understimulated on these long deployments, that sinple things like long warm showers and sushi, or sunshine if you're on a sub, you're so appreciative of more so than the average person who takes them for granted

Mr. Jamesons, you read my mind when you made a comment at the beginning of the video. I laughed when you said what I was thinking. You are a Legend!

I see a lot of myths about the Legion in the comments : FFL is fully part of the French army and its regiments are dispatched over several brigades, hence, when deployed, they work with the regular french army on a daily basis up to the company level. FFL, being part of medium and light brigades, deploy more often than regular regiments affected to heavy brigades (not much high intensity conflict those days). But they're not France "suicide squad" as I've red. Everywhere the Legion is, other regular French combat and support units will be deployed, they will do the same missions, FFL is not a Special Force. Because of the prestige of the Legion it will get the best officers (regiments are choosed according to your results, best choosing first at the french officer school), and because of its massive recruting pool (the world) it will also get above average recruits. This translate into above average regiments. But you will find equally good and even better regiments in the regular French army. Generally speaking, the quality of the French army is quite homegenous, so the differance is slim anyway. Because FFL is mainly made of foreigners from all around the world with very different values and lifestyles, the discipline has to be higher than in a regular unit in order to keep it professionnal. Discipline and ease of life in regular french regiments is easier because soldiers are considered more responsible and trustworthy.

The French legion is very respected in the army. Rustic, disciplined, experienced and sent on all fronts. These guys left their native country for france, sometimes because of justice, in the past for adventure, whatever, they are much more respectable than a lot of french people who don’t respect their own country. Some of them integrate the elite of the regular army, the parachute commando group or the mountain commando group. They have all our confidence in operations.

at 2.50 ' mon pere est compagnon' doesn't mean he's a carpenter ( charpentier) it means he's a craftman,member of a ' group' called compagnons.... these men, when they are trainees achieve a kind of ' tour de france', working for several 'compagnons ' craftsmen doing so, they get skills, tips and tricks, and knowledge from several skilled people across the country cheers

There is a Spanish Foreign Legion too. I'm currently listening to an audio book about a fellow Englishman's experience serving with them, his name is Mark Gee and the book is called "The Spanish Foreign Legion: The Bridegroom Of Death" Fascinating story. Always been in awe with the French Foreign Legion, I didn't even realise the Spanish had a Legion too.

France military has the policie of having the best relation ship possible with local , they bride locals with food, money or even toys for the kids and they are carrefull not to apear hostil. So i don't think they would drop napalm in the bushes. It's a matter of public image, intel and not increasing the ennemy ranks Edit: i forgot the most important part: Airstrike cost money

Joined when i was 32, alot of young guys barely knew if they even wanted to be there. if you are going to join young, dont half ass your way through training the staff notice all the little shit, if you are joining after 30, I was the oldest guy in basic and could see how much benefit my life experience had given me, use it to your advantage and train twice as hard

Was away for six weeks in the bush. All i wanted was a shower and double bed. When I finally got on the double bed I could'nt sleep. It was too comfortable.

Left for the US Army 2 months 2 weeks after I graduated high skool. Kinda wish I did a little more than 4 years. Mother was a nurse in the Air Force during Vietnam

ex german army here who served in mali, afghanistan and kosovo huge respect to the guys who had to go out there into the dirt for days and weeks i was an MP and especially in mali our main job was securing convois and personal protection for high value targets like politicians and officers and despite seeing some serious combat in afghanistan mali is by far the worst place i have seen, if you want to know what its like to stand guard in 120 degrees fahrenheit just think about this imagine a hot summer day wherever you are and you are cooking some food in the oven, when its done you open the thing to get the food out and you will feel the surge of hot air....imagine that heat permanently in full pack (uniform, vest, helmet etc) and thats mali for you seriously, we should abandon that place, if there is a god he has forsaken it centuries ago

This was a good one! I am an Veteran Legionnaire as I've stated in the past. I am also American from the West Coast. I didn't deploy to Mali in my times. I did deploy to Djibouti and the Congo/DRC. There's a few things I can comment on here... First off, most likely Maxime "Little Brother" is not from Belgium. Next, yeah, do your military service young for sure. The max age for enlistment in the Legion is 39, but there are ways to get around that. I've never seen anyone over 41 join up. A lot of guys in my days (myself included) we got French girlfriends and had them buy things for us with our money in their name...yes it can be a risk, but its French women and they are much more trust worthy than many other women in the world. If you treat them with respect, there wont be issues. If you were caught though depending on your service history (how good of a Legionnaire you are) and depending on what the offense was, would be anything from 15-45 days in jail to being kicked out. The reasoning behind this is simple...the Legion doesn't want the Legionnaire racking up debts in the early stages (or ever really), nor does the Legion want anyone to become a burden to the nation of France. It is something I wished the US military would adopt. Teaching the young folks about fiscal responsibility and how to avoid debt, ect. is important for a successful warrior! In my days in the Legion, the French Army was full of conscripted folks. We didn't care for them at all, but ill say this, the Legion was well respected everywhere we went. Especially on Bastille day in Paris! I never had issues, in fact, I served in the US Army first. Peacetime was boring in the Army, a lot of crap that served no purpose (picking up cig butts, sweeping motor pool, hide in room and play video games, ect)! The Legion offered so much more and they delivered! Agreed, 100%. The US military tries to hard to enlist a "Perfect" Civilian for the job of "Perfect" warrior! Some of the best Warriors out there are pieces of crap Civilians! The American there, probably joined at 34 or 33. He is a Cpl. so that means at least 2-3 years in. On deployment, for me it was Ice Cream...always ice cream! Which I made sure I got a hold of when I got back to calvi!

I joined the Army in my late 20s and looking back i should have join it soon after high school, still all went good and ended up serving 6 years !!! best years of my life, high speed life with lots of hard work , travel , deployments and crazy vacation times !!! one thing it wasn't never in my thoughts making it a career !!!

Regarding the heat, it is necessary to hydrate very often. The most difficult is not to be in a desert where it is 50 degrees Celsius because the heat is very dry, but at the seaside with a humid heat. The body gets used to the heat, and I spent the summer (in France) with a sweater because I was cold by 30 degrees celsius;)

Tough dicipline is to be taken VERY literal in the legion. It's not many years ago that officers stopped using force against the soldiers. You'd hear stories of soldiers getting beaten to a pulp, or teeth knocked out from doing barely nothing wrong. 'Dicipline' in the legion is very much diferent than what it used to be, but It's still very tough and physical to this day. Not something you'd see in the US army, or anywhere else in a 1st world country.

Very interesting, this is good to see an american soldier giving his mind about the favourite part of my army!! 💪💪💪 Proud to be French 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷 (From France 🇫🇷)

Some friends of mind travelled South through Mali on motorcycles. It was just around the time that things started to turn sour down there and they had to change their plans when insurgents made passage too dangerous for Westerners. Whilst the footage above shows a large portion of Mali looking like Mars there is some interesting territory in the Hombori mountains. It's very much like Monument Valley. In nearby Mauritania there's the Richat Structure, also known as the 'Eye of Africa'.

I mean, when he said in French that they are never scared. Literally, they are walking slowly in the middle of a warzone without any cover aside from the gunner hidden on the rocks.

These guys fought in the Spanish Civil War. Two of my family members who were alive during the Civil War thought joining the Legion would be a fun adventure. By day 2 of training they were found trembling in a corner and sent home. Massive respect to all members of the Legion!

I wonder how that belgian feels about the FFL song. "Le Boudin". Part of the lyrics trash talks Belgium Lol

Love your insights.

I was a U.S. Army Paratrooper at Bragg.. I was too old to go back in when Sept 11th 2001 happened. I went to join the Legion.. I turned out to be too old even with my experience.. the recruiter was disappointed as well. We were friends for about 5 years after but when he retired we lost track of each other.. high regards for these troops.

“Let’s jon the French Foreign Legion on Mars...I mean Mali.” 😂😂 That place really looks like Mars actually.

That terrain in mali makes Afghanistan look like a forest. Damn.

I remember in the Marines delayed entry program, kids being turned away for a simple tattoo like a song note.

As of 2009-2012 as a recruiter for the U.S. Army... one can enlist with two DUIs on their records but must be completed with any probation supervised or unsupervised, I think it was if you had three DUIs on your record you were considered disqualified for military service. This was a while back ago though. and usually a DUI comes with a minimum of three years probation.

22, joining the marines this year because I don’t want a lifetime of regret!

i've lived and schooled in Bamako, Mali. long live Africa. that dessert can go beyond 40 degrees centigrade for sure. you'll see mirage every where you look and need to take cover when the beautiful and gigantic but also ominous wave of sand storm hits. i personally love it. even went camping accompanied by american GIs on the Sahara desert. all in all its a beautiful country and worth visiting when it becomes peaceful again. its not all desert.

Hey Jameson, Not sure if this interests you. When I was in the Paris Fire Brigade (french Army), I walked in the general Army Headquarters with a regular army Captain. The door was garded by the Foreign Legion. The guard saluted me (Lance Corporal) and gave a regular "hello" to the captain. Both the flags of the foreign legion and Paris Fire Brigade are decorated with the "Honor Legion". There is a special bond between both corps. Take care

_"What is she shocked by that?!"_ - No, she's trying to interview the guy because IT'S HER FUCKING JOB!