Thinking about the french foreign legion

Heineken pants

Currently giving the french foreign legion some serious thought and have been for a while, is there anyone out there who has done it all before? Im 25 and physically fit. Iv read the books and i know what to expect, to some extent that is, its just hard to know whether you could deal with it mentally, esp in the initial stages. Its not a last resort or anything, i have a degree but not sure if I want to spend my life in a mundane 9 to 5. Im just fascinated by it. I suppose the real question is, do you have the balls to join?

Looking for some advice, any advice welcome, esp in terms of recruitment and acceptance. Anyone out there in the same boat as me??

lala stone

After all your research do u not think 25 is too old to do it.. you will be starting fresh again at 30?

Mr. Presentable

I'm 90% sure one of the mods here is in the Legion, so there should be some quality advice available.

Edit: Apparently I'm mistaken.

iceage

I think you'll find Manic Moran had hooked up with some of them on his present tour in Afghanistan. Hes not a member of the French Foreign Legion, he's in the US Army.

minidazzler

nipplenuts wrote: »

I'm 90% sure one of the mods here is in the Legion, so there should be some quality advice available.

Manic_Moran http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/member.php?u=52871

Lol, MM is an officer in the USNG serving on active duty right now. Not FFL.

OP, saying you know what to expect would be a terrible thing if you go for this. Don't have expectations because it's unlikely to live up to them.


I'm not in it at all, and wouldn't really want to be given I don't like the language. But give it a shot if you feel you are up to it.

Don't be just physically fit "I can run 5 miles", Put on Muscle, lots of it. I have a friend who was turned away a month ago because he is too skinny, they told him pack on 2 stone of muscle and come back to them.



We really need an FFL Superthread, there's a new thread on it every 2 weeks!!

Heineken pants

minidazzler wrote: »

Lol, MM is an officer in the USNG serving on active duty right now. Not FFL.

OP, saying you know what to expect would be a terrible thing if you go for this. Don't have expectations because it's unlikely to live up to them.


I'm not in it at all, and wouldn't really want to be given I don't like the language. But give it a shot if you feel you are up to it.

Don't be just physically fit "I can run 5 miles", Put on Muscle, lots of it. I have a friend who was turned away a month ago because he is too skinny, they told him pack on 2 stone of muscle and come back to them.



We really need an FFL Superthread, there's a new thread on it every 2 weeks!!

Im not so sure that putting on muscle is a necessity, from what iv read and seen, alot of soldiers are lean and fit, some even quite thin. Ur friend must have been very skinny. I thought usually they would only turn you away if part of your backround didnt check out, because you were unfit, or because of a medical reason. U sure it was that he was skinny and not a number of reasons?

Heineken pants

lala stone wrote: »

After all your research do u not think 25 is too old to do it.. you will be starting fresh again at 30?

No id say too young if anything. They recruit up to the age of 40, i would think 27 or 28 would be a prime age to give it a go. No guarantees that u would finish after 5 years either, although that is the more popular outcome.

pmg58

Just make sure you fully understand what corvée is before you sign up.

Heineken pants

The dreaded corvee. Ya its meant to be a nightmare. Im perfecting my mopping skils as we speak;)

pmg58

Just out of interest, how fit are you, i.e. what would be your weekly fitness routine?

minidazzler

Heineken pants wrote: »

Im not so sure that putting on muscle is a necessity, from what iv read and seen, alot of soldiers are lean and fit, some even quite thin. Ur friend must have been very skinny. I thought usually they would only turn you away if part of your backround didnt check out, because you were unfit, or because of a medical reason. U sure it was that he was skinny and not a number of reasons?

he's the same height as me, would be built slightly bigger.

I am 6'3 and 210 lbs (Last I checked), That is lanky and slim really. I was just saying what he was told.

His background is perfect, he has no medical problems to the bestt of my knowledge, He can run 5 miles without breaking a bad sweat.

What have you seen? What books have you read? Don't rely totally on the books and waht you read on an internet forum, go for it and find out for yourself.

If you are not gonna just get up and go to something like the Legion then its' unlikely you will actually do it.

Just pack a bag, get the bus to Rosslare, the Ferry to Roscoff and go to the nearest recruitment center from there.

It's do or Don't.

Hard Larry

OP Regardez ce lien.

p1akuw47h5r3it

lala stone wrote: »

After all your research do u not think 25 is too old to do it.. you will be starting fresh again at 30?

There was a book written by a fella who was 39 (or therabouts) wen he joined.

25 isnt too old.

My biggest prob with joining the ffl is that it's 5 years. And u lose a lot of ur freedom compared to if,let say, u joined the Irish army.

I personally beleive I'd be able to put up with the physical aspect of ffl, but not the mental aspect which is more important

mega man

go ahead join it. its just like any other army just more extreme. some guys say the royal marines of the british army are tougher than the ffl. alot of standards in the legion have fallen and weather they deserve the reputation they have today is questionable.

troubleshooter

mega man wrote: »

go ahead join it. its just like any other army just more extreme. some guys say the royal marines of the british army are tougher than the ffl. alot of standards in the legion have fallen and weather they deserve the reputation they have today is questionable.

What makes the legion different is the draconian side, got to give up your passport, cant leave country for first year, cant get married for first 7 yrs, which is why the legion have a free brothel on their bases.

The Royal marines offer alot more variety in what can be persued career wise, from being an artic and mountain warfare leader to diver, serving on nuclear subs, carriers etc to trades.

In terms of selection its the v harsh discpline, learning French and having to do everything in French, etc that makes the legion difficult. Physically the RM 32 week commando course is more demanding then the legions 16 weeks basic training.

p1akuw47h5r3it

troubleshooter wrote: »

What makes the legion different is the draconian side, got to give up your passport, cant leave country for first year, cant get married for first 7 yrs, which is why the legion have a free brothel on their bases.

.

This can't be truw???!!!!

concussion

I can't remember if they're free or not, but they do have mobile brothels. They figure soldiers will get it sex one way or another so they provide a service where everyone is checked and logged in order to minimise the spread of STI's.

p1akuw47h5r3it

concussion wrote: »

I can't remember if they're free or not, but they do have mobile brothels. They figure soldiers will get it sex one way or another so they provide a service where everyone is checked and logged in order to minimise the spread of STI's.

HAHA spose that makes sense!

troubleshooter

DanDan6592 wrote: »

This can't be truw???!!!!

This is from 2001.

But getting in is tough. Only about one in seven candidates makes it. And being in is even tougher. The training is grueling and desertion is common. Camp brothels are the main entertainment. Basic pay is about 5,500 francs ($710) a month, often double that for hazard duty.

http://archives.stupidquestion.net/sq61401.html

The German army also used to have brothels, not sure about the Russians.

Heres a good site on basic training.


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basic training - they therefore, have only served a few months more than yourselves in the Legion. You may find that there is a Caporal or Sergent of the same nationality as your own. Often they will be more friendly to their own nationality and keep you slightly more informed as to what is on the agenda during the coming days. Tread carefully in this area however and assume nothing.
On arrival at Castelnaudary railway station you will be picked up by a Legion coach and taken to the Quartier (guartier Capitaine Danjou). You will at all times be accompanied by the Caporaux or Sergents. Having unloaded all the Sacs Moraines (Long sausage shaped green bags) into the corridor, there will be a briefing by one of the Caporaux telling you what is next on the agenda. The first day will be spent unpacking bags and getting you into the routines that will very quickly become a way of life. Depending on the training team - and they all have their own way of doing things - your first day will probably be even more stressful than usual. In most armies around the world there is a routine of traumatising the recruits during their first days - creating as big a shock for them as possible. One regiment in the British forces(Parachute Regiment) would make the recruits run for four miles with the whole of their equipment immediately on getting off the coach at the Depot, shouting and screaming at them all the way.
Likewise in the French Foreign Legion they must instill discipline into the Section as soon as possible and this will be done by whatever means is deemed necessary. There will be silence in the corridoors when lined up. Feet will be exactly in line with the second row of floor tiles.

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Anybody talking, whispering or behaving like a civilian will be reprimanded in the most extreme manner probably in the form of a good dig to the body. Head and eyes to the front and best you keep it that way. For those that come from Eastern block countries this is not at all easy. They have come from backgrounds far removed from the culture of the West. They are inherently less disciplined and prone to being the target of the enthusiasm of the Caporaux. You may well find yourself doing press- ups on account of them.
Throughout the day they will run you through what is known as the "Apel". This is a routine of lining up in the corridoor and calling out from left to right a number. The number starts at one and continues up to however many there are of you. You may all be lined up in a different order every time you come out into the corridor, so it is important that you learn very quickly how to count in French. Whatever you are doing in the room - it is dropped immediately and you must get out into the corridor and line up against the wall before the Caporal has reached the count of four. The Apel is always done first thing in the morning and last thing at night, but initially you will do it perhaps twenty or thirty times in a day. This is purely to teach you how to count and as a method of asserting discipline and authority upon you. In the 2 eme REP based in Corsica, there are three apels per day - one after lunch as well. At some time during basic training there is sure to be a low count in the morning when a Legionnaire or two have decided that they've had enough and tried to desert. They are nearly always caught.


2REP, the Legion para regiment are nick named 2 para due number of ex members who served in 2 para.
http://lib.ru/TXT/franclegion.txt_with-big-pictures.html


During the late 1980s, the Legion saw a large intake of trained soldiers from the UK. These men had left the British Army following its restructuring and the Legion's parachute unit was a popular destination. At one point, the famous 2eme REP had such a large number of British citizens amongst the ranks that it was a standing joke that the unit was really called '2eme PARA', a reference to the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment of the British Army.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion

troubleshooter

Just to add their assault courses look pretty impressive.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kepi.cncplusplus.com/FFL_World_Map/Combined%2520Joint%2520Task%2520Force%2520Troops%2520Get%2520Commando%2520Training%2520-%2520DefendAmerica%2520News%2520Article_files/ai020807b1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kepi.cncplusplus.com/FFL_World_Map/Combined%2520Joint%2520Task%2520Force%2520Troops%2520Get%2520Commando%2520Training%2520-%2520DefendAmerica%2520News%2520Article.htm&usg=__aMonJBNUnJB8pSvkQX-PDiGd79k=&h=406&w=540&sz=71&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=kZYKg0h4t6NlzM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=132&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfrench%2Bforeigh%2Blegion%2Bassault%2Bcourse%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG


The course culminated with a confidence course known as the “Way of the Unconscious.” The course included traversing the side of a mountain 100 feet off the ground onto a rock, crossing over a rope bridge approximately 300 feet off the ground.

Capt. Gary Humphries, 5th Provisional Security Company, lands after jumping off of a 100 foot drop during the “slide for life” obstacle in the French Foreign Legion Commando course at Arta Beach in Djibouti. U.S. Army courtesy photo

feet above ground and sliding down 150 feet on a steel pipe. While many of the courses were geared toward team building, this one was an individual effort.


Excellent info/pics.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60481

mega man

Alot of things have changed in the legion since the french have taken over it. Every couple of years the legion has been brought more into line with the french army. So forget about most things you read like Legionnaire or Hidden Soldier. The Legion has come along way since the 80s and 90s. But like any other army basic training it wouldnt be something to underestimate.