One good thing about the french foreign legion is that their veterans can show up when they are older and they will recieve food and shelter in a farm, cultivating grapes and a lot of homeless and wounded vets, or lonely old ex foreighn legion can have a second life with the legion
I was an officer in the French Army. Foreign Legion is proud of several centuries of battelscarred history. It's the Real thing, from selection, through training and during a military carrier as a professional elite fighter. I would Nevers make any comparison with other countries top notch troops. But these guys comparé to Seals, Rangers, Marines and airborne assault regiments. I would - and have entrusted such guys with my life, and Never have come to regret it. And if you dont mind : They dont always come for citizenship. Mostly they look for commitment, adventure and put utter meaning in their lives. They also find Pride, and a family : Legio Patria Nostra. LEGION IS OUR MORHERLAND. Keep up the good job, i really enjoy your vidéos, thanks
@@teedawg771 buy a ticket and go to aubagne or marseilles ask to join. Be physically and mentally ready, if you get selected sign your five year contract.
When I lived in south of France I met a ex legionnaire ,who was from Romania ,we worked together for few month as carpenter .I am a pretty fit and strong man nothing crazy ,this guy was a monster physically, he was never tired ,always do what asked to do and the nicest man around .just a badass with a smile on his face that could kill you under 2 min. Awesome guy ,big respect for the legion.
@@JamesonsTravels I think in case of EU citizens like this romanian guy from Paul post its one of two cases 1. adrenaline(adventure) junky 2. criminals hiding from their past. Theres nothing stopping EU citizen from moving anywhere in EU+EEZ(European Economic Zone countries like Norway) picking up job and starting new life there, so this isnt motivation for EU citizens. I don't know about States but here in Europe FFL are a bit romanticised as the toughest and roughest guys out there, fighting everywhere in the world.
@@CesarGarcia-nd5xz After 3 years, a legionnaire gets a resident card provided he can present a certificate of good conduct. After 5 years, he may apply for citizenship if he wishes but this procedure is greatly simplify for him : no language test, no need to prove residence (considering he got the resident card 2 years before). And the request is almost automatically approved. It is sometimes called "Français par le sang versé", "French by spilled blood".
@@vergildisparda Thanks for the reply. Yes and no. It is actually a saying older than the law. The faculty for a Legionnaire to apply for citizenship after having being wounded but before the 5 years was introduced in the law in 1999. The idiomatic formula is much older.
Went to a Jungle seminar in 2021 in French Guiana and boy this was a wake up call. Saw their facilities, training sites, and especially the school house. It's no joke, they still train like animals. From a US Army Jungle Instructor at JOTC in Hawaii much respect to the legionnaires. French Foreign Legionnaires are Legit and Solid!
15 years till retirement in the Legion , you are taught french while in training. The Pension is paid anywhere in the world, you dont have to stay in france.
In a much older documentary about the Legion, they filmed the legionnaires negotiating the jungle obstacle course in French Guyana. The Legion did the course in 45 minutes. US Marines did it in eleven hours!! There's your comparison.
I fell out of USAF Pararescue after 10 months... I held their push up and pull up record and was at least average in the swim... but the run is what got me... I later got to work with the legion in Saudi Arabia. They were truly hard humans. We had a competition lifting, swimming, running and Tug of war. They weren’t great swimmers but could. They were terrible at lifting weights... but they smoked all the nations and units in running... they could run 5:15 miles forever! They slept on their rifles I. The open air under the French Miarages they protected. We never saw them talk or even smile, even to each other. I’m not used to being intimidated by other men. But there was a feeling amongst the other 20 units of 8 countries... that the 6 French foreign legion members there could probably hold their own against all of us. The Scotts were the craziest and funniest... the French scared them too!
I'm sorry for you. Where did you landed after PJ training? USAF guard duty? They didn't let you recycled?
10 місяців тому+2
The Légion étrangère as a reputation to scare the enemy. Look for photos of the legion's July 14th parade uniform. The soldiers wear a butcher's apron and carry an axe! The message is clear...
I served 8.6 years as an Infantry grunt in the U.S. Army. While in Desert Storm I met some FFL guys ( traded headgear!). They were ALL in top physical condition!!! Couldn't say that about the U. S. Army.
My great grandfather was a Legionaire in the early 1900s. He lied about his age and joined at 16. He was a lifer and retired as a Captain. At the time, it was one of the only ways to elevate yourself as a Corsican.
La légion étrangère n'est que la réactivation, à travers la légion de Hohenlohe de la Restauration, du service étranger de l'Ancien Régime. Napoléon n'a jamais recréé que ce que la STUPIDE république qui nous régit encore (et après on s'étonnera?) a supprimé. V.L.XX.
I am an Ex-Aussie Para/Infantryman who hasn’t got much to say except I have respect for those who understand true suffering, comradeship, loss, pride, honour and Patriotism.....
The marines talk shit to everyone, sadly a lot of times they cant back it up. For instance scout sniper, they claim their snipers are the best but they regularly get their asses handed to them at their own competition by the US Army and Canadians. Quote form the Marine Times: For the second year in a row the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment beat out nearly 30 military, civilian and foreign sniper teams at the 2018 International Sniper Competition held aboard Fort Benning, Georgia. The Corps’ two-man team hailing from the Quantico, Virginia, Scout Sniper Instructor School placed 10th overall, just behind the Coast Guard’s Special Mission’s Training Detachment. The only thing they are best at is PR.
Dale` Shirley Almost identical mate, Ground training initially teaching the bend force swing which is how to perform a para roll when hitting the earth at good speed with kit on.. Then training in the hangers suspended by a harness going through all your drills ie parachute fails, hang ups, midair collisions and then assessing ones drift to know if you are coming in for a side left or side right.. Then Tower training to go through all those drills and put them together so you can be deemed competent to be thrown out of a C-130 Hercules, I forgot to chuck in there the most important drill when you get the command tell of a equipment check by the PJM and literally you are checking your cape wells, belly band, lowering line, suspension hooks, static line stowage, centre pack tie, hook on, pin secure check my fucking back😆 You just got me to remember all this after I have been out for ten years! Then the fun begins with being chucked out at a 1000 feet with your first being clean fatigue, next few jumps are combat equipment with dual sim doors and last jump is your night jump. Hope that helps to give you a bit of insight
@@Zerox_Prime no idiot Special Forces are special forces. And the coast guard beat their asses. The Canadians beat their asses, the army (not Rangers) have beat their asses in the past. Also dont forget Marines say they are "special opps" also. Face it you're just ass hurt about the truth.
im a 44 year of service merchant seaman from britain and whilst we were in djibouti in the gulf of aden,red sea ,we met these lads.exchanged yarns etc. top men.
@Jacob Dahl French Foreign Legion there is the word "foreign" ! So inside these troops french are in minority !!! It may help you in case if you would become a fan of France !!!!!
Well the thing is they don't have anything in the brain, they are like violent dogs, you just have to say what you want them to do, convinient for the government, so yeah there is no political correctness, because there is no such thing like smartness (I'm French btw)
@@FURIOUS_KAIN they're just guys who didn't have any chance in life and chose to have a second try. They may not have had an education but they're not all dumb. Et j'aimerais bien voir te voir leur dire que c'est des chiens d'attaque en face, ils te rigoleraient juste au nez 😂
English translation in the documentary seems pretty "tame". When they are running and the officer yells "shut the f** up" in French, it just says "go" in english.....
The Legion has something called Citizenship By Spilled Blood, which if a French Foreign Legion fighter is injured in combat, they would be granted French citizenship.
that will be an automaticly granted. but from what i've heard you can apply for french citizenship after 3 years of service or finish your full 5 years of service with certificate of good conduct. still a long proccess. some says that it may require you to extend your five year of service. not sure though .
Back in the days, i was in regular french army. i remember a cross army training with them and the cavalerie during almost a month at Caylus. Those guys are not on the same level. after work we used to have a drink and some hours for us, while the legionnaries were running around the camp with stones in their bag and full equipement on them. i was suffering just watching them. good videos jamesons Travel
Yup, and french warrant officers (is it the name for it ? I don't know I'm french) are true teachers, I can testify. Fresh recruits have to learn absolutely everything, and in french. That's the beauty of it.
@#SendNudes Ridah now for every time you get something wrong you have to run around the terrain repeating what you got wrong until you get it right. Or at least that's one of the methods I saw.
correct firstly counting.... when you fail your number in the line the legioner beat you hit you and its really painful and you and your mates are going to suck all day
Only a native english speaker could think that learning a language is the hardest thing :-) Most of the world does it without necesseralily joining the legion
Agreed. My nephew recently got through boot camp. I did it myself almost 2 decades ago. They were allowed to bring phones, there was a facebook group so the moms and family could track what they were doing in boot, etc, etc. When I went through, I just disappeared off the map for 6 mos, and came home pretty different from when I left.
I wish I have heard of this French Foreign Legion 30 years ago while I was young and tough. I believe anybody who wish to have a new life leaving their dark pasts should try the French Foreign Legion. This is a wonderful effort comparing what the legionnaires goes through than the normal military training.
I'm French, from Marseille, the city where the légionnaires are recruited. One of my friends used to be part of the legion étrangère. He is from Hungary. He had never done anything wrong in his country, like most of the légionnaires. Times have changed. There's not anymore that much guys who come because they would go to jail in their country for felony. The main reason why foreign people join the légion is unemployment in their countries, lack of money. No guy who committed a crime is accepted of course, it's a legend. I also know a guy from Romania who belonged to the Romanian army. He escaped to become a légionnaire because his pay was peanuts. My Hungarian friend just wanted to leave Hungary because it's a poor country, like most European eastern countries. he had no future there even though he went to college. His elder brother used to be a légionnaire too. My fiend almost speaks perfectly French like every légionnaire. It's of course necessary to speak the same language if you belong to a group, otherwise... My friend spent 5 years then stopped. He told me the gear they were given was of really poor quality. They generally buy their own boots, rucksack and so on as soon as they can. He told me that the legion first breaks them, then rebuilds them. One of the basis is to teach them that they are not several different guys but ONE entity. They would never leave someone behind. They would give their life to save somebody else's life. Selfish guys are kicked out immediately. Now my friend has French citizenship and still lives here. What is a VERY good point in my opinion is that our government, after 5 years, don't leave the légionnaires on their own. We pay for them 2 years in any school so they can stay in France and get a job, I think they're so grateful towards France for these reasons that they are more likely to die for our country than the average French soldier, who joins the army because he just needs a job. A big part of the légionnaires nowadays comes from Eastern Europe, which is poor and where guys don't even hope they can get a job in their country. They don't belong to USSR anymore so it's easy for them to COME. Moreover, here in France, we have many advantages: health care, financial help for renting a flat... Etc... . Their motto is "legio patria nostra": The légion is our country. French people generally like and admire them. That's all I know...
I think there is a soft spot for the Foreign Legion in Americans' hearts. Maybe it's because Americans believe in second chances. America gave a lot of our ancestors a second chance. I remember an American business leader saying he thought the reason the US succeeds in business is they give a motivated person a second chance.
They do not all ways give second chances. Your past life is run through Interpol. If you are convicted of sex crimes you're going home! Only 1500 are accepted each year...there is a 1 week interview and tryouts...yes, tryouts you fail. Your going home.
Or maybe it's just the actual adventure of war. I was in the military but I never saw combat. I didn't even go overseas. But the FFL, you can and will do all that. It's the big O-word(opportunity) and we Americans love opportunity. The land of...
I wish the U.S. would grant Citizenship to personnel who completed 4 years in the U.S. Armed Forces. Some of the men that I was deployed with earned that right IMO.
@@borkwoof696 I agree, I have read and heard about a few translators that were severely punished for performing such a task, in order to help out "the war effort". 😞
The US has Naturalization Through Military Service via the INA act. Eligible after 1 year of Military service, assuming you show good moral character (served honorably), can speak and write decent English and know a little US history. As long as you served honorably and you meet those requirements you should receive citizenship.
@@lpg12338 Well first you have to be a permanent resident of the United States, and own a Permanent Resident Card (formerly called Alien Registration Card). Before 2001 you could've become a service member of the US armed forces without being a permanent resident first, but after 9/11 that got changed.
I feel a deep sadness when I watch things about the FFL. I want to join so very badly, because honestly, I feel like American life does not a man make, any longer. However, I'd be medically disqualified in an instant. Thank you Jameson, for sharing your thoughts on the training.
I’ve also been medically disqualified after trying to join the US military multiple times. I thought of trying to join the legion as well but they’d disqualify me for the same thing the American military would. It sucks, but it is what it is, sometimes things just aren’t meant to be I guess…
My father used to "hang" with Legionnaires while stationed in France. This was back in the Fifties, and a surprising number of those guys were Wehrmacht veterans. One or two of them wouldn't say exactly what they'd done but after enough drinks (and, he said, they all drank A LOT), they'd get this look in their eyes that would cause everybody else to give 'em a table to themselves. I actually mentioned to my dad that I wanted to join the Legion someday and the look on his face was priceless when he said "Don't do it, kid. You ain't up to that, trust me." Don't know about today, but once upon a time, it was said that it was possible to track the Legion in the field by the trail of empty booze bottles they'd leave in their wake...but God help you if you caught up to them, you were in for a knock-down, drag out fight with a well-trained, ruthless opponent.
Had a 2nd cousin who was in the Legion after WWII. He said they would take ex Wehrmacht, but if the would be recruit had his blood type tattooed under his right arm, they rejected him because that was something only the SS did. I asked if that was standard, he said it was when he went in and he never asked the Legionnaires who were checking. He told me the first thing he learned when he enlisted was..."Don't question." He was lucky and was stationed in Africa and missed the French loss in Vietnam.
@@donwild50 I don't think my dad ever found out exactly what the more...haunted...German veterans did during WWII...or if he did, he didn't say. I suspect that those guys had gone to the Russian front and done/saw truly, truly awful things. In any case, they taught Dad not to ask a lot of questions but it was always like, "Why worry about nonsense when we can drink more beer and chase more women? " then somebody would push a beer-stein into his hands or a French girl into his lap. Since the military was my dad's "escape hatch" from Fifties Baltimore street-gang life, didn't take him long to get the message. I'm glad your cousin didn't wind up in Vietnam. Years ago, there was a book written called "The Devil's Guard," purportedly the combat memoir of a German Legionnaire who fought in Indochina. Since heard that there's some questions as to the authenticity of the tale, but if it's true it's a harrowing tale. Evidently, the Viet Minh had an especially cold place in their hearts for German legionnaires...
@@donwild50 bollocks, the FFL was a refuge for many ex SS men. To the extent that 3rd Rgt was speaking German over french in intra Squad communications, only speaking french to officers.
My Uncle went in the Legion in the 70s according to my mom the brother who left never came back; he went to Tchad and had to shoot up 6 years old child soldiers who would try to shoot them with AK, this isnt a place for the faint of heart. Its not like any regular army
Whatever!!! the foreign legion fought against nazi germany, mainly in north africa (the maghreb, in lybia, in egypt...) in support of the british troops (desert rats)... after the second world war, the legion verified the identity of all newcomers, if he was German, he was automatically handed over to the gendarmerie (French military police)... the foreign legion is not South America (Argentina, Chile... , where the ss officers went into hiding)... You don't go into the legion like you go into a strip show!!! your initial identity is verified, controlled, scanned... blood crimes, rapists, perpetrators and their servants of war crimes are arrested if they come to the legion!!! the legion is an institution with values, a history, rules... moreover you take them for mercenaries, they are not! they are legionnaires. In France being a legionnaire is an elite corps (only the best can be there), they fight for the legion then for France... sometimes even for France's allies (the USA included). .. Don't talk nonsense when you talk about the foreign legion! don't forget you don't get into the legion like you get into a mac donald!!!
A buddy of mine was Recon and had an opportunity to cross-train with the Legion back in the 90's. He ran into a prior service Marine that joined the Legion and his advice was "Don't do it. The Legion is insane." -I have mad respect for the Legion and they don't f* around with 'rules of engagement.'
They're not just mercenaries, search "oath of the Camerone" (serment de Camerone) and you'll understand the spirit. La bataille de Camerone 30 avril 1863.
I'm French-Canadian. My grand dad joigned the Queen's Army back in early 1900s and went over to South Africa to fight the Boers. The dude was a 16 years old paperless street kid, signed his name with an X and knew how to say Yes, Sir. He came back and re-joigned the army during WW1 (pretty much in his 30s) in a regiment called the 22nd, all French-Canadian volunteers, and fought in La Somme at Courcelette (used to say: baïonnette, shovel and fists). I'm sure he wouldnt qualify today as one of the modern armies Special Forces but from what I gathered when word was out in the field that the 22s were coming there was some serious pants soiling happening. I know I'm off subject but in a sense that fits here.
Legionnaires are the most weel trained soldiers in the world. Shit gear, tough officers, unforgiving selection... Any member of french army is supposed to salute a legionnaire if he sees one, whatever the ranks. Les légionnaires sont les soldats les mieux entraînés au monde. Equipement de merde, officiers et sous-officiers les plus durs qui soient, sélection impitoyable... Tout militaire, officier ou pas, est censé saluer un légionnaire lorsqu'il le croise. Also, one thing that can help you americans understand how different this is from regular army : most people who spend more than five years in Légion Etrangère are gone forever. It takes everything from you, there is no more "you". Nobody talks about his past (because sometimes it's very, very bad... many guys from Serbia, etc., but way back in times lot of ex-nazis), no one cares. It's all about being a one man army. Individuality is erased, there's no room for it anymore. For a reason : we french always send the Légion first. The Légion accomplished the most stupidly brave missions during its history. Légionnaires were singing while going to fire in Dien Bien Phu.
Many of us are aware of the acts of mindless, unbelievable bravery the Legion is capable of. Their whole history is dotted with such acts. There is no Army like the Legion. Period. Maybe only the US Navy SEAL get a training as hardcore, and even that is debatable. But the human material is different. Only the Legion possesses such desperate, nothing to lose, ready for everything individuals. Thing is, the Legionnaire knows that his duty is to die and never, ever to surrender his weapons. No wonder it is the best fighting unit in the world....
Dark Vadertrauebrein I am not an expert, I do have military experience as a conscript in the Italian Infantry (granted, not as hardcore as the FFL or the Marines, but military training nonetheless and tough enough to inspire a spate of well-documented suicides in lads who tragically thought they didn’t have a way out of it). I shot extensively, dismantled and reassembled a Beretta BM 59 and a now-prehistoric Garand (yes, the very one immortalised in countless WW2 movies, although I did my service n 1990). Threw hand granades and marched, marched, marched, got punished for infractions and in hindsight had the last true great time of my life, even though I didn’t think so at the time. The military taught me many very valuable lessons that I carry with me to this day, 30 years since, and left me with an abiding interest in many facets of it. I wish conscription was obligatory in the West. And universal, for females too. It is clear to me that abolishing it has been a dreadful mistake. I have to agree, the SAS are very hardcore and only a selected few make it through, but they are more of a super-elite corp and it is my understanding that they are used for very delicate operation which require specialised skills. The FFL are thrown in any melee going, “first in, last out”. I don’t know the Commando Marine. The name is familiar and rings a bell, and I am sure I encountered the name while researching most recent conflicts in Africa and the Balkans, yet I do not know anything about it. Thanks for the tip, I shall research it!
During my time in the Legion there were guys from every corner of the world and of life - ex IRA terrorists, ex Khmer Rouge, Drug dealers, Spetznaz and an ex-Spanish Foreign Legionnaire to name but a few. They were a mixed bag for sure. Life in the Legion is like a combination of being in jail and being a monk. The days are very long and frequently frustrating but there is nothing like walking out the gates of your Quartier (camp) for Quartier libre with a brilliant white Kepi on your head. If you are 5 mins late on camp in the morning (6am) then it's automatic 10 days in jail. Same if you are seen drinking from a bottle in the street or eating a burger. Maybe it's more relaxed now - but that's how it was when I was in, thirty years ago. Oh - and your comment about the scarred heads - it's rare to find one without scars ! It's five years not 3. You can get out after the first 6 months if you want.
I'm a DoD civilian and Army Reservist with 18 years of military service and 9 years of active duty service. I have one deployment to Afghanistan for 8 months and really enjoyed my time in the Middle East. My plan is to do 30 years in the Army and I'm going back on active duty now for 1-2 years to get me closer to my minimum retirement points. The biggest influencer and mentor in my life was a US Marine who taught me martial arts, he was a Marine stationed on Okinawa and earned his black belt in the late 70s early 80s on the island. He passed away in 89 but not a day goes by I don't think of how that one Marine changed my life and woke me up. I named my son after him. Keep up the great work on your channel!
@@jasonmeister6988 I don't read or speak French, but it looks like he wrote that French soldiers are the best in the world. He's entitled to his opinion.
Mercenaries are volunteer too, you don't get drafted into a private military company 😂😂😂 That said they are not mercenaries I agree but I can't claim to know what they think or like that would be ludicrous.
Legio Patria Nostra, (The Legion is our Fatherland) it is the motto of the French Foreign Legion. The point Alejandro made is that a légionnaire enrolled for a new life as a French soldier, they are gratefull for a second chance in life and that's why they have the reputation of ruthless fearsome opponents. They don't fight for money or glory, they fight because of gratitude and genuine love for their new country.
@@jamesbooker9411 Actually all mercs are not volunteers. Some are victims of circumstance and geography. Just because you get paid does not mean you are willing. You have obviously fuck-all experience.
I really like this video and would like to see the next two parts. Back in the mid 80's I had a friend who was getting out of the Marines and always talked about and actually corresponded with them, he was planning to go to France and join the FFL, back then I remember he said it was 5yr minimum enlistment, I never heard from him again after his discharge, so maybe he did, I like to think so because he had no family and was a Damn Good Marine & Friend.
Still 5 years. It’s very interesting as a jarhead. Part 2 is good. Working on Part 3. They are long but very interesting. The ffl does not mess around. Semper Fi.
Didn't know that (and I am French ^^) but I can tell that they gain french Citizenship after serving 5 years into the Legion (which is the lenght of the contract they sign and you can renew). If they don't act dishonorably, at the end of the 5 years, they become French.
Exact. Français par le sang versé. To be fair surviving the five first years is not as easy as it may sound. These guys go straight to the point after training (in the fucking jungle with the shitiest gear you could think of, meaning dying there is frequent).
here from fFrance, I just discovered your channel, gotta say i really enjoy the way you analyse and talk about all the details you see. you've got a kind a respectful way to see things, thanks for all that sir !
I was stationed at Camp Lemonnier Djibouti for a year with a CJTF. It was a former FFL post but they moved away from the coast. They ran a desert school and we met about once every 60 days for different events. Very professional.
As a french, i love that lost officiers are foreigners, it shows how serious the legion is about giving you a chance to make something out of your life, even if your skills are dodgy, they'll teach you to put them to use.
From what I remember -- from the mid-1980s when I and two of my buddies were going to get out at expiration of our enlistments and then join the Legion -- the recruiter we talked to in Italy (we were on a Med pump and found the Legion recruiter at an office in town) said it was a five year commitment, no questions asked, and they'd teach you French and everything else you'd need. He didn't soft pedal how difficult it could be but he said the ones who already had military experience tended to do just fine. He was also going on about 3 R.E.I. or the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment and talking up its location (French Guyana) and all the cool training they did. We all decided to stay in the U.S. military, though, and we each made it to our retirement eligibility. P.S. We in the U.S. military tend to poke fun at the French and their armed forces ("Cheese-eating surrender monkeys," etc.), but those Legion guys are HARD CORE, and they always have been.
A LOUD voice always keeps your attention !! Much needed , 40 yrs ago and still today !! It stays in the back of your head forever !! No Bill Murray " STRIPES "
Someone was sent back home from entrance exams because of his ekg having something abnormal right at the end of the recording. He had to get checked by a doctor and come back later on. Some had to fix teeth issues and come back later. Enjoying your videos from France.
Got out of the marine corps in 03. I was a 81mm mortar men. I remember we did some cross training with these guys. They were on the gun line next to us. One night a couple of us were hanging out and one tried an mre and said these are disgusting and I wouldn't feed these to pigs. We all started laughing our asses off. They were a good group of men. Just a funny memory I thought I'd share. Cool vid and take care everyone.
When I joined in 1965 I knew a lot about the military and my Dad was a ChifeMAsterSargent (E-:9). Somehow my DI found out that my Dad was a lifer. Basic was not easy. After basic I spent a 60 day in-place assignment,waiting for a school to open. It wasn’t hard. It was USAF before you start ragging on me just remember how many time you took a plane to get where you were going to be the bad ass. I retired in 1996. You do the math. To all the Hero’s I served with. Thank you.
Really interesting to watch your reactions, ideas, from a US Marine point of view ! Very insightful, relevant and at the same time very respectful. You just won a new french follower, Sir !
I am an Englishman from London. I served 5 years in the French Foriegn Legion Airborne ( 2eme REP ) based in Calvi, Corsica, 1982-1987. I spent a total of 8 months in Africa (Djibouti, Central African Republic ) I was at one point, reduced to a gibbering wreck, after being beaten up on several occasions for not being up to scratch. I persevered and got throught it in the end, and left honourably after serving my 5 years. I am very proud to say that I was a Legionnaire. Republic )
FYI: French passport is overall WAY better than US one: -More place you can go without visa (186 visa-free countries versus 185 for USA) -More importantly, you can work anywhere in Europe without a work permit/visa The second one is a huge deal, I worked in Belgium, Spain, and Ireland without needing to do any paperwork.
One less visa-free country you can enter is by no means WAY better. Also, the fact that you can work anywhere in Europe is great... if you want to work there. Then again, it's the same concept in The U.S. You don't need a work permit to work in another state. So again, I'm not sure it's WAY better.
@@everythingisaworkinprogres5729 wow as a US citizen you can work everywhere in USA! Must feel amazing to know that you don't need a work visa to work in you OWN country.... O_O
@@aubinaps1427 apparently the concept was lost on you... Let me spell it out for ya then: The E.U. is basically the same concept as The U.S. Hopefully you can take it from there... oof.
@@everythingisaworkinprogres5729 the same concept as US? Oh boy, you must be a big troll or American to say such stupid things... That's time for me to run away from your stupidity till I can. Long live to the Troll!
this guy who was a us marine who joined the French foreign legion on UA-cam his names soldier of fortune, you should check it out. Great video by the way
I watched this video with much interest and must say that you are a typical Marine; Sarcastic, Funny, well informed, straight to the point and smart. Thank you from a Red Leg (Army) that had the privilege to conduct operations with Marines in the Middle East and South America.
I was there, after getting kick out of U.S military, (25th ID Schofield) 1989, Still seem to do things exactly the same. Not much has changed. Good vids, keep going.
French legion recruitement is mostly word of mouth, but for "Regular" military, they play stupid ads on tv just like in the US to recruit call of duty gamers. The foreign legion is way different than a regular soldier in france. We consider the foreign legion soldiers as the most crasy, dedicated, hard working people in the army, big respect to them.
As a french military I love to see this vidéo from a foreign point of view ! And it is the same for all military formation in France : “legion ; terre ; air ; gendarmerie (military police)” if you don’t like it or don’t make it, you leave ! you’re refreshing dude !
Calm down, there is a huge difference between legion and others, my cousin and his friend goes to army, my cousin in "terre" and his friend in air, and they said, totaly different, the french air army is hippies, relax, don't even make the salutation.
The truth is that with those who require motivation need to be shouted at. If you have your own motivation there is no need to be shouted at. e.g. Gurkha's require no FURTHER motivation. They are already motivated and you will rarely see a Gurkha be shouted at. That concept has pervaded the UK military over 200 years, so regularly, there is no need to shout.
.....I served with them in Bosnia and Kosovo...and apart from a small tear gas incident (where they were not fucking around!) They were (are) great blokes.... Want them on OUR side....GREAT GUYS...GREAT ATTITUDE.....Good boys
@@stevenkelly2477 65 Legionnaires vs. 3000 Mexican Army soldiers and cavalry. Legion killed nearly 3 times their number. They may have lost but considering what the odds were, anyone would have. But they made the Mexican Army feel it.
zagorith14 ok...I know all about the failed French expedition in Mexico in the 1860s and the legendary wooden arm of capitaine Danjou killed at the 1863 battle of Cameron in Mexico. I’m glad France ( invaders) 🇫🇷 lost and was kicked out of there yrs later.
Pierre Hachin in that conflict...no. Beninto Juarez ( underground president of Mexico at the time) appealed to Abe Lincoln for help to rid his country of imperialist France who invaded his country and placed a Austrian prince as a false ruler. Violation of the Monroe Doctrine.
Could the FFL be the last military organization on the planet that doesn't give a flying F about political correctness? If so, then I'll encourage my stepson to join!
Sadly no. The presenter didnt understand the point. It was more of a reference to the typical image from famous black and white movies (abbot and costello) about the Legion, nothing to do with being bad ass . It had nothing to do with political correctness. Thankfully a white hat can still be considered pc.
Lucy Fe huuuuge BS said here. This is not true anymore since the 60's at least. The Legion has access to the Interpol and Europol databases to check the enlisted records. Criminals are not allowed to join
My grandfather too! He got over 90 years old. One day he called me on my birthday and told me a story. He said when he was 23 years old, he laid in the ananas field and was shot trough his hat. He was also shot in his ass. He always wanted to write a book because he saw so much but didn't tell his stories very often or all of them. Unfortunately he never wrote it down and all his stories died with him... What a shame. He was quite funny sometimes but also a little crazy and definitely a very hard man. I was told that in his youth they all had respect for him or were scared.
My Uncle Clayton Jordan served two tours in Vietnam with the United states Green Berets;Retired in 1980 with 30 years 2 months and 16 days, he retired in France; he once said the French Foreign Legion members were squared away,please show more videos
I think the US equivalent of this would be some kid from Slovakia going to the US to become an Army Ranger and not speaking a word of English. Imagine trying to learn a new language while training at the same time. They give non French speakers basic French lessons but it's still a challenge. Hats off to them.
Friend of mine did 5yrs in the Legion back in the 80's. He said the training was brutal, they pt the shit out of you if you didn't learn french fast enough, he was paid crappy. But you will be able to handle yourself- speak french & have some good times. Now I hear it's mostly eastern euros & asians joining
Nowadays they don’t like westerners. They prefer Eastern European’s and Asians. Because, one guy who did training said that westerners may find it to be shit and poor quality and as a result run away. That’s his quote.
The name change and such comes from the history of the legion due to those originally joining being exiles or ex-criminals wanting a change of life and the new identity is a gift of that. Fresh start and new beginnings and all that. The history of the legion is incredibly interesting. Honestly worth reading into extensively, very heroic and very fascinating stuff, the wooden arm of Jean Danjou is very awesome indeed and the battle in Mexico that him and his outnumbered men were in. They took an oath to Jean Danjou to not surrender. The last 6 men had no ammunition left by the end and instead of surrendering they fixed bayonets and charged the surrounding enemy, very incredibly heroic stuff and for me personally it is even more special knowing that the men in the legion were originally (on inception of the organisation) viewed by leadership as expendable and possibly unreliable due to their precarious past (obviously that opinion quickly crumbled and did not last long at all). I'm not French and nor have I ever been in the legion, I'm just a fan of military history, but I feel like everyone can learn a lot from the strength of the men who join the military and apply that strength of character and physical strength to whatever path they follow (proof that celebrities and such shouldn't be the role models but men and women who sacrafice everything, no matter what field of study or practice should be the ones held on that podium of respect)
I guess the EKG or ECG will thoroughly determine any heart abnormality that would deem a recruit physically unable to be a serviceman. Some of them might not even know what underlying conditions they might have.
I spent 8 years in the Corps, self discipline played a large part of training. We were expected to think for ourselves, nobody got us up in the morning, nobody marched us to the armoury to draw our weapons and nobody stood over us while we got the accommodation ready for rounds. However if you failed to show self discipline in any aspects of training then you could stand by for a beasting. Royal Marines pride themselves on not having to be told to do a task that needs completing, training is hard, on average each troop ends up with 17 originals out of an intake of 55.
Couldn't agree more mate, as a collegue of mine once said, the one distinguishable difference between the corps and the Army is that in the Army you are trained to listen and obey orders almost to the letter. But a bootneck is trained to think. Think outside the box even. Otherwise the whole concept of commando, from the St.Nazaire raid to Afghan would mean absolutely fuck all.
@@flankingtheenemy your friend was talking out of his ass. I have spent 20 years in the Army and I am here to tell you that the idea of a soldier not being taught to think for themselves to be innovative is silly.
@@thomashope7514 I think he means moreso in the sense that a small group of junior enlisted can be trusted to do the job in an efficient and effective manner. Whereas, let's be honest here, you cannot say the same thing about the Army if there is no higher-up around to make sure the job gets done.
Some sort of public service helps to expose young people to the differences in the country rather than us all being aliens to each other. Bring back the draft.
@@55Bentley6 thats not the military's job simply Conscript militarys are unamerican, inefficient, and ineffective. Aswell we simply dont need that many joes
It is one way to be French, by: "spilled blood". If they make their duty correctly, that is worth it. It will be etched in their memory for the rest of their life. The road will be steep ...
A lot of respect for the Legion! There has to be a place where someone can go to straighten out their lives. In my opinion just wanting to try to improve yourself is the first major step! None of us are perfect. Yes I think this subject is a great idea
Did you know ? The legionnaires already native French-speakers in the engagement (because that also exists!) are in big majority ... FRENCH quite simply. But as the law of engagement in the Legion obliges to have a foreign nationality, they are counted as "foreigners" by taking nationalities of French-speaking countries in Europe or in the world, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada, African countries, etc...
08:05: Somehow like mercenaries? Well, let us keep in mind that the Legion is NOT a mercenary corps. It is an official corps of the French Armed Forces, under governmental control, and liable to French military laws. This is nothing like an SMP.
They say that because most people think that if you are not fighting for the country you were borned in you are a mercenary, it doesn't matter if you have a paper saying you are part of the army. Same thing happened with corsairs and pirats. They were not navy men, they were criminals with a British, French, Spanish or Latin American countries authorization to rob and kill.
@@PATO-ep5sc What do they think "Legio Patria Nostra" means? Btw, you're talking about Privateers, who had commissions from their countries, to take foreign merchant ships during times of war. That was legal and as such not criminals and not pirates (who didn't have any commission or authorisation to take ships).
@@PATO-ep5sc So if a serviceman or woman, who isn't either a naturalized citizen or native to the US (green card holder or "permanent resident"), joins the US military it makes them a merc? No. That, and considering the fact that you can apply to get French citizenship after 3 years of service of a 5 year enlistment period, you can very well become a citizen of France while serving. A mercenary is a professional soldier working for foreign military's for the specific purpose of making money. There may be some who do serve with prior military service, but that's not always the case. And the FFL being unique in that you actually can acquire citizenship during your service. Pirates and corsairs were very different from privateers. That's a distinction you fail to make.
One thing to keep in mind, when you yell at someone it will make that person uneasy and add stress to any situation, the ability to adapt to this added stress is key to mission successfulness. If getting yelled at bothers a recruiter, just wait till they are getting shot at.
@@lpg12338 i had a sgt, that yell at me, that stresst me out, because i had to hide my laugh. After i became a sgt. i never yell, i stresst my recruits of different ways.
@@Hirnknaker Sir, recruits can be stressed by different methods, good on you for finding another method, while hopefully accomplishing the same goal. Depending on the task at hand time can be a stress inducer. 👍
Regarding the comment regarding foreign nationals never being a thing in the US military, in my platoon on PI we had a recruit from Jamaica, The Bahamas, two Dominicans, two Filipinos and one from Trinidad & Tobago.
I have seen the whole video on you tube. They even trained in French Guiana, down in South America. Very intense training and decipline and very difficult, muddy, dangerous challenges in the jungle and can be life threatening. It's no joke, one needs full dedication to go thru. They eventually served in war zone Afghanistan. The training is just the start of a life of challenges.
Check out part 2 here - ua-cam.com/video/6DS9_dApq9Q/v-deo.html. Part 3 coming soon. Subscribed and click the bell to get notified. Thanks.
The chief-corporal is Polish.
Dude if your French isn't good after a month they will beat you to death.
Check Spetznats in Russia those guy break your arms and legs then after you get out the hospital then the training starts
I went to army basic training i 2004 in fort benning GA. Its 90% i fantry basic
There were no cell phones
Can you please do video on alpha group of spetsnaz and indian army
The best time of my life, I became a new person. Fought for the French. Now living in Singapore. Longue vie à la France
Makes a warrior out of men.
Merci à toi d avoir protégé mon pays !
Merci pour ton service ;)
singapore ey, im from singapore lol
Merci a toi d'avoir protégé la France.
One good thing about the french foreign legion is that their veterans can show up when they are older and they will recieve food and shelter in a farm, cultivating grapes and a lot of homeless and wounded vets, or lonely old ex foreighn legion can have a second life with the legion
Remi Gelin thats seems quite pleasant
US & other NATO units need to do the same thing as the Legion does. Am pretty sure not even regular main force French Army units do that....
Indeed, the FFL is a family, it takes care of their own.
That's a lot better than other forces who give them PTSD, throw them out and leave them die homeless while corrupt politicians get lifelong pay.
@@fredcollins8919 the thing is the US have so many programs in the military for people, but people don't use it. From home loans to housing.
I was an officer in the French Army. Foreign Legion is proud of several centuries of battelscarred history. It's the Real thing, from selection, through training and during a military carrier as a professional elite fighter. I would Nevers make any comparison with other countries top notch troops. But these guys comparé to Seals, Rangers, Marines and airborne assault regiments. I would - and have entrusted such guys with my life, and Never have come to regret it. And if you dont mind : They dont always come for citizenship. Mostly they look for commitment, adventure and put utter meaning in their lives. They also find Pride, and a family : Legio Patria Nostra. LEGION IS OUR MORHERLAND.
Keep up the good job, i really enjoy your vidéos, thanks
@Death The Kid yes you can but its very infrequent
5 years to get a French passport.
@@MichaelSaunders-y2m not anymore
My big brother put in 15 years in the legion.. retired honorably.. very proud of him.
How would one join
American ?? That's wild
@@teedawg771 buy a ticket and go to aubagne or marseilles ask to join. Be physically and mentally ready, if you get selected sign your five year contract.
Holly shit
What a fucking COMANDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Lennart Gavling Who were you fighting ?
When I lived in south of France I met a ex legionnaire ,who was from Romania ,we worked together for few month as carpenter .I am a pretty fit and strong man nothing crazy ,this guy was a monster physically, he was never tired ,always do what asked to do and the nicest man around .just a badass with a smile on his face that could kill you under 2 min. Awesome guy ,big respect for the legion.
I like who and why they take recruits. They want to be there and have to earn their spot for a French passport.
@@JamesonsTravels Romania is in the European Union, romanians do not want the French passport :)
@@JamesonsTravels I think in case of EU citizens like this romanian guy from Paul post its one of two cases 1. adrenaline(adventure) junky 2. criminals hiding from their past. Theres nothing stopping EU citizen from moving anywhere in EU+EEZ(European Economic Zone countries like Norway) picking up job and starting new life there, so this isnt motivation for EU citizens. I don't know about States but here in Europe FFL are a bit romanticised as the toughest and roughest guys out there, fighting everywhere in the world.
@@JamesonsTravels if I may, a légionnaire earns his citizenship at the only condition to be injured in mission.
@@sekoundiaye3239 this seems to be the truest part
French version : "je vais établir les bases. C'est pas la fête du slip ici."
Translation : "it's not a holiday camp"
XD
Direct translation is: This is not a panties party lol.
@Styl0x That comes later of course, since the ladies love a born-again-hard stud that can speak the flowery French.
@Styl0x tien tien tien je te connais toi :)
putain comment je fais pour retrouver pleins de gens d'avn sur des vidéos incongrus de youtube :')
@Styl0x
3e mec que je rencontre par hazard d'avn deux toi compris cette semaine c'est l'appel du forum ça mais j'y succomberais pas :')
Ces traductions à la con aussi là xD
"- Why did you came to the Legion?
- To forget.
- Forget? Forget what?
- I already forgot..."
Stan Laurel
90 years ago: " I murdered my grandmother... - Shut up and put a cross here! "
@@felix25ize it depends on the number of candidates...
Lmmfao
Just watching Laurel and Hardy in "Beau Hunks" 1931 right now and came here. 🤣
I am French. After 5 years in the Legion they really deserve to get the French citizenship.
I thought that serving 3 yrs in the Legion you were given one
@@CesarGarcia-nd5xz After 3 years, a legionnaire gets a resident card provided he can present a certificate of good conduct.
After 5 years, he may apply for citizenship if he wishes but this procedure is greatly simplify for him : no language test, no need to prove residence (considering he got the resident card 2 years before). And the request is almost automatically approved. It is sometimes called "Français par le sang versé", "French by spilled blood".
@@Fervalaka Actually, "French by spilled blood" refers to if a legionnaire is injured in combat he is instantly granted French citizenship.
@@vergildisparda Thanks for the reply. Yes and no. It is actually a saying older than the law. The faculty for a Legionnaire to apply for citizenship after having being wounded but before the 5 years was introduced in the law in 1999. The idiomatic formula is much older.
There was a time when the Foreign Legion was a real not-go-to-jail card.
And the Legion was making a point to have people regret not going to jail.
Went to a Jungle seminar in 2021 in French Guiana and boy this was a wake up call. Saw their facilities, training sites, and especially the school house. It's no joke, they still train like animals. From a US Army Jungle Instructor at JOTC in Hawaii much respect to the legionnaires. French Foreign Legionnaires are Legit and Solid!
15 years till retirement in the Legion , you are taught french while in training. The Pension is paid anywhere in the world, you dont have to stay in france.
But anywhere you go after that, the Legion is within you. Those guys never go far enough to escape what you call "PTSD".
It's eighteen years to retirement now, and they have also done away with the bawds. The only constant is change.
@@johnhansen8810 Why do govts just have to mess with the few good things for those who choose service as a way of life.
@@WmHorus Beats me - Perhaps they want to get everyone in for twenty years
@@johnhansen8810 Yea but 15 had been the tradition for a very long time. But who knows.
In a much older documentary about the Legion, they filmed the legionnaires negotiating the jungle obstacle course in French Guyana. The Legion did the course in 45 minutes. US Marines did it in eleven hours!! There's your comparison.
Also there's the fact that there's a base in the jungle, where the legion trains a lot, so it's kinda their speciality with desert
The Legion trains that course regularly tho. Not a fair comparison
@Arid Sohan if a marine were to train in that course everyday I'm willing to be he can run it in the same time as a legionnaire
@Arid Sohan That is the thing, they never lose 🙂
@@titoolazabal775 Ever heard of Vietnam, Afghanistan and more to come 😂
I fell out of USAF Pararescue after 10 months... I held their push up and pull up record and was at least average in the swim... but the run is what got me... I later got to work with the legion in Saudi Arabia. They were truly hard humans. We had a competition lifting, swimming, running and Tug of war. They weren’t great swimmers but could. They were terrible at lifting weights... but they smoked all the nations and units in running... they could run 5:15 miles forever! They slept on their rifles I. The open air under the French Miarages they protected. We never saw them talk or even smile, even to each other. I’m not used to being intimidated by other men. But there was a feeling amongst the other 20 units of 8 countries... that the 6 French foreign legion members there could probably hold their own against all of us. The Scotts were the craziest and funniest... the French scared them too!
I'm sorry for you. Where did you landed after PJ training? USAF guard duty? They didn't let you recycled?
The Légion étrangère as a reputation to scare the enemy. Look for photos of the legion's July 14th parade uniform. The soldiers wear a butcher's apron and carry an axe! The message is clear...
Because they re PIONEERS! ( Like Engineers, hence the Axes!
They are Engineers!
I served 8.6 years as an Infantry grunt in the U.S. Army. While in Desert Storm I met some FFL guys ( traded headgear!). They were ALL in top physical condition!!! Couldn't say that about the U. S. Army.
My great grandfather was a Legionaire in the early 1900s. He lied about his age and joined at 16. He was a lifer and retired as a Captain. At the time, it was one of the only ways to elevate yourself as a Corsican.
Napoleon also found a way to to elevate himself as a Corsican.
@@hereandthere4763 😅
C'est grâce à Napoléon.
"Tout étranger qui versera son sang pour la France, deviendra Français."
Vive la France et vive Napoléon.
ROFL
La légion étrangère a été fondée par Louis Philippe, pas par Napoléon.
@@warham97 Je citais Napoléon pour sa phrase. Je n'ai en aucun cas dit qu'il l'avait fondé :)
La légion étrangère n'est que la réactivation, à travers la légion de Hohenlohe de la Restauration, du service étranger de l'Ancien Régime. Napoléon n'a jamais recréé que ce que la STUPIDE république qui nous régit encore (et après on s'étonnera?) a supprimé. V.L.XX.
@@laurentlavigne1851 haha je hais la république, retournons à l'ancienne s'il vous plaît
Gotta give them props it’s a hell of a fresh start. Some people just need that for a proper new start.
I am an Ex-Aussie Para/Infantryman who hasn’t got much to say except I have respect for those who understand true suffering, comradeship, loss, pride, honour and Patriotism.....
Outstanding. We had a few Aussies in my infantry training company. Big stout men. Older and good warriors.
how was para training compared to The Brits para training?
The marines talk shit to everyone, sadly a lot of times they cant back it up. For instance scout sniper, they claim their snipers are the best but they regularly get their asses handed to them at their own competition by the US Army and Canadians. Quote form the Marine Times: For the second year in a row the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment beat out nearly 30 military, civilian and foreign sniper teams at the 2018 International Sniper Competition held aboard Fort Benning, Georgia.
The Corps’ two-man team hailing from the Quantico, Virginia, Scout Sniper Instructor School placed 10th overall, just behind the Coast Guard’s Special Mission’s Training Detachment.
The only thing they are best at is PR.
Dale` Shirley Almost identical mate, Ground training initially teaching the bend force swing which is how to perform a para roll when hitting the earth at good speed with kit on.. Then training in the hangers suspended by a harness going through all your drills ie parachute fails, hang ups, midair collisions and then assessing ones drift to know if you are coming in for a side left or side right.. Then Tower training to go through all those drills and put them together so you can be deemed competent to be thrown out of a C-130 Hercules, I forgot to chuck in there the most important drill when you get the command tell of a equipment check by the PJM and literally you are checking your cape wells, belly band, lowering line, suspension hooks, static line stowage, centre pack tie, hook on, pin secure check my fucking back😆 You just got me to remember all this after I have been out for ten years! Then the fun begins with being chucked out at a 1000 feet with your first being clean fatigue, next few jumps are combat equipment with dual sim doors and last jump is your night jump. Hope that helps to give you a bit of insight
@@Zerox_Prime no idiot Special Forces are special forces. And the coast guard beat their asses. The Canadians beat their asses, the army (not Rangers) have beat their asses in the past. Also dont forget Marines say they are "special opps" also. Face it you're just ass hurt about the truth.
im a 44 year of service merchant seaman from britain and whilst we were in djibouti in the gulf of aden,red sea ,we met these lads.exchanged yarns etc. top men.
The Legion doesn't seem to do political correctness. God Bless them!!!
These are the ballsiest men in all of France
these men literally have nothing else to live for, so they just don't give a shit and go in the most hostile places
@Jacob Dahl French Foreign Legion there is the word "foreign" ! So inside these troops french are in minority !!! It may help you in case if you would become a fan of France !!!!!
Well the thing is they don't have anything in the brain, they are like violent dogs, you just have to say what you want them to do, convinient for the government, so yeah there is no political correctness, because there is no such thing like smartness (I'm French btw)
@@FURIOUS_KAIN they're just guys who didn't have any chance in life and chose to have a second try. They may not have had an education but they're not all dumb.
Et j'aimerais bien voir te voir leur dire que c'est des chiens d'attaque en face, ils te rigoleraient juste au nez 😂
English translation in the documentary seems pretty "tame". When they are running and the officer yells "shut the f** up" in French, it just says "go" in english.....
Lmao
Mange le merde "enjoy breakfast"
I don’t know much French but I thought I heard a few cuss words. Thanks.
@@kragger1985 If google translate is correct :D
@@kragger1985 haha thanks to Spanish I'm pretty sure I know what that means 😂
The Legion has something called Citizenship By Spilled Blood, which if a French Foreign Legion fighter is injured in combat, they would be granted French citizenship.
that will be an automaticly granted. but from what i've heard you can apply for french citizenship after 3 years of service or finish your full 5 years of service with certificate of good conduct. still a long proccess. some says that it may require you to extend your five year of service. not sure though .
Correct
Légionnaire can become french by being wounded during his service that is citizenship by blood
Qui c'est correct.
It would have to be a life-changing wound. You can't just have a toe blister and get citizenship.
We call it. Francais par le sang verse (french because of their blood spilled
French by spilt blood right?
@@Rabolisk not life changing, just wounded, just like how the American Purple Heart doesn’t require a life changing injury
Back in the days, i was in regular french army. i remember a cross army training with them and the cavalerie during almost a month at Caylus.
Those guys are not on the same level. after work we used to have a drink and some hours for us, while the legionnaries were running around the camp with stones in their bag and full equipement on them. i was suffering just watching them.
good videos jamesons Travel
Every Legionnaire must speak French. So, they must learn to speak French during selection and training.
Yup, and french warrant officers (is it the name for it ? I don't know I'm french) are true teachers, I can testify. Fresh recruits have to learn absolutely everything, and in french. That's the beauty of it.
@#SendNudes Ridah Absolutely true. They would teach you french either you want it or not.
@#SendNudes Ridah now for every time you get something wrong you have to run around the terrain repeating what you got wrong until you get it right. Or at least that's one of the methods I saw.
correct firstly counting.... when you fail your number in the line the legioner beat you hit you and its really painful and you and your mates are going to suck all day
Only a native english speaker could think that learning a language is the hardest thing :-) Most of the world does it without necesseralily joining the legion
Agreed. My nephew recently got through boot camp. I did it myself almost 2 decades ago. They were allowed to bring phones, there was a facebook group so the moms and family could track what they were doing in boot, etc, etc. When I went through, I just disappeared off the map for 6 mos, and came home pretty different from when I left.
I wish I have heard of this French Foreign Legion 30 years ago while I was young and tough. I believe anybody who wish to have a new life leaving their dark pasts should try the French Foreign Legion. This is a wonderful effort comparing what the legionnaires goes through than the normal military training.
Amen!
Everyone before 40 years old can apply!
Wait until the next episode perhaps you were lucky and this is the sanitised version of the FFL.
I'm French, from Marseille, the city where the légionnaires are recruited. One of my friends used to be part of the legion étrangère. He is from Hungary. He had never done anything wrong in his country, like most of the légionnaires. Times have changed. There's not anymore that much guys who come because they would go to jail in their country for felony. The main reason why foreign people join the légion is unemployment in their countries, lack of money. No guy who committed a crime is accepted of course, it's a legend. I also know a guy from Romania who belonged to the Romanian army. He escaped to become a légionnaire because his pay was peanuts. My Hungarian friend just wanted to leave Hungary because it's a poor country, like most European eastern countries. he had no future there even though he went to college. His elder brother used to be a légionnaire too. My fiend almost speaks perfectly French like every légionnaire. It's of course necessary to speak the same language if you belong to a group, otherwise... My friend spent 5 years then stopped. He told me the gear they were given was of really poor quality. They generally buy their own boots, rucksack and so on as soon as they can. He told me that the legion first breaks them, then rebuilds them. One of the basis is to teach them that they are not several different guys but ONE entity. They would never leave someone behind. They would give their life to save somebody else's life. Selfish guys are kicked out immediately. Now my friend has French citizenship and still lives here. What is a VERY good point in my opinion is that our government, after 5 years, don't leave the légionnaires on their own. We pay for them 2 years in any school so they can stay in France and get a job, I think they're so grateful towards France for these reasons that they are more likely to die for our country than the average French soldier, who joins the army because he just needs a job. A big part of the légionnaires nowadays comes from Eastern Europe, which is poor and where guys don't even hope they can get a job in their country. They don't belong to USSR anymore so it's easy for them to COME. Moreover, here in France, we have many advantages: health care, financial help for renting a flat... Etc... . Their motto is "legio patria nostra": The légion is our country. French people generally like and admire them. That's all I know...
I think there is a soft spot for the Foreign Legion in Americans' hearts. Maybe it's because Americans believe in second chances. America gave a lot of our ancestors a second chance. I remember an American business leader saying he thought the reason the US succeeds in business is they give a motivated person a second chance.
Gets arrested with 1 gram of weed and gets a life sentence yes nice second chances
Revive Hydra lmao 😂 😂😂😂😂
They do not all ways give second chances. Your past life is run through Interpol. If you are convicted of sex crimes you're going home! Only 1500 are accepted each year...there is a 1 week interview and tryouts...yes, tryouts you fail. Your going home.
Or maybe it's just the actual adventure of war. I was in the military but I never saw combat. I didn't even go overseas. But the FFL, you can and will do all that. It's the big O-word(opportunity) and we Americans love opportunity. The land of...
No it’s mainly because of the Gary Cooper classic film, Beau Geste. Almost every American boy growing from 1939- maybe the 1980s loved that film.
I wish the U.S. would grant Citizenship to personnel who completed 4 years in the U.S. Armed Forces. Some of the men that I was deployed with earned that right IMO.
lpg12338 especially translators
@@borkwoof696 I agree, I have read and heard about a few translators that were severely punished for performing such a task, in order to help out "the war effort". 😞
The US has Naturalization Through Military Service via the INA act. Eligible after 1 year of Military service, assuming you show good moral character (served honorably), can speak and write decent English and know a little US history.
As long as you served honorably and you meet those requirements you should receive citizenship.
@@getmeoutofsanfrancisco9917 Sir, I will have to read up on this, thanks for the education! 👍
@@lpg12338 Well first you have to be a permanent resident of the United States, and own a Permanent Resident Card (formerly called Alien Registration Card). Before 2001 you could've become a service member of the US armed forces without being a permanent resident first, but after 9/11 that got changed.
I feel a deep sadness when I watch things about the FFL. I want to join so very badly, because honestly, I feel like American life does not a man make, any longer. However, I'd be medically disqualified in an instant. Thank you Jameson, for sharing your thoughts on the training.
I’ve also been medically disqualified after trying to join the US military multiple times. I thought of trying to join the legion as well but they’d disqualify me for the same thing the American military would. It sucks, but it is what it is, sometimes things just aren’t meant to be I guess…
RIP to the two legionnaires from Ukraine fallen in action recently:
Volodymyr Rybontchouk, March 13th in Lebanon
Dmytro Martynyouk, April 23rd in Mali
RIP
And again?? Lebanon??
My respects for those soldiers. And for their families. Thank for your services. France never forget you !!!!
Steak Saignant spies like them
They are not ukrainians, they’re french
My father used to "hang" with Legionnaires while stationed in France. This was back in the Fifties, and a surprising number of those guys were Wehrmacht veterans. One or two of them wouldn't say exactly what they'd done but after enough drinks (and, he said, they all drank A LOT), they'd get this look in their eyes that would cause everybody else to give 'em a table to themselves. I actually mentioned to my dad that I wanted to join the Legion someday and the look on his face was priceless when he said "Don't do it, kid. You ain't up to that, trust me."
Don't know about today, but once upon a time, it was said that it was possible to track the Legion in the field by the trail of empty booze bottles they'd leave in their wake...but God help you if you caught up to them, you were in for a knock-down, drag out fight with a well-trained, ruthless opponent.
Had a 2nd cousin who was in the Legion after WWII. He said they would take ex Wehrmacht, but if the would be recruit had his blood type tattooed under his right arm, they rejected him because that was something only the SS did. I asked if that was standard, he said it was when he went in and he never asked the Legionnaires who were checking. He told me the first thing he learned when he enlisted was..."Don't question." He was lucky and was stationed in Africa and missed the French loss in Vietnam.
@@donwild50 I don't think my dad ever found out exactly what the more...haunted...German veterans did during WWII...or if he did, he didn't say. I suspect that those guys had gone to the Russian front and done/saw truly, truly awful things. In any case, they taught Dad not to ask a lot of questions but it was always like, "Why worry about nonsense when we can drink more beer and chase more women? " then somebody would push a beer-stein into his hands or a French girl into his lap. Since the military was my dad's "escape hatch" from Fifties Baltimore street-gang life, didn't take him long to get the message.
I'm glad your cousin didn't wind up in Vietnam. Years ago, there was a book written called "The Devil's Guard," purportedly the combat memoir of a German Legionnaire who fought in Indochina. Since heard that there's some questions as to the authenticity of the tale, but if it's true it's a harrowing tale. Evidently, the Viet Minh had an especially cold place in their hearts for German legionnaires...
@@donwild50 bollocks, the FFL was a refuge for many ex SS men. To the extent that 3rd Rgt was speaking German over french in intra Squad communications, only speaking french to officers.
My Uncle went in the Legion in the 70s according to my mom the brother who left never came back; he went to Tchad and had to shoot up 6 years old child soldiers who would try to shoot them with AK, this isnt a place for the faint of heart. Its not like any regular army
Whatever!!! the foreign legion fought against nazi germany, mainly in north africa (the maghreb, in lybia, in egypt...) in support of the british troops (desert rats)... after the second world war, the legion verified the identity of all newcomers, if he was German, he was automatically handed over to the gendarmerie (French military police)... the foreign legion is not South America (Argentina, Chile... , where the ss officers went into hiding)... You don't go into the legion like you go into a strip show!!! your initial identity is verified, controlled, scanned... blood crimes, rapists, perpetrators and their servants of war crimes are arrested if they come to the legion!!! the legion is an institution with values, a history, rules... moreover you take them for mercenaries, they are not! they are legionnaires. In France being a legionnaire is an elite corps (only the best can be there), they fight for the legion then for France... sometimes even for France's allies (the USA included). .. Don't talk nonsense when you talk about the foreign legion! don't forget you don't get into the legion like you get into a mac donald!!!
A buddy of mine was Recon and had an opportunity to cross-train with the Legion back in the 90's. He ran into a prior service Marine that joined the Legion and his advice was "Don't do it. The Legion is insane." -I have mad respect for the Legion and they don't f* around with 'rules of engagement.'
They're not just mercenaries, search "oath of the Camerone" (serment de Camerone) and you'll understand the spirit. La bataille de Camerone 30 avril 1863.
They swear oath to the legion no one else.
I'm French-Canadian. My grand dad joigned the Queen's Army back in early 1900s and went over to South Africa to fight the Boers. The dude was a 16 years old paperless street kid, signed his name with an X and knew how to say Yes, Sir. He came back and re-joigned the army during WW1 (pretty much in his 30s) in a regiment called the 22nd, all French-Canadian volunteers, and fought in La Somme at Courcelette (used to say: baïonnette, shovel and fists). I'm sure he wouldnt qualify today as one of the modern armies Special Forces but from what I gathered when word was out in the field that the 22s were coming there was some serious pants soiling happening.
I know I'm off subject but in a sense that fits here.
Merci a ton grand pere pour son courage.
Legionnaires are the most weel trained soldiers in the world. Shit gear, tough officers, unforgiving selection... Any member of french army is supposed to salute a legionnaire if he sees one, whatever the ranks.
Les légionnaires sont les soldats les mieux entraînés au monde. Equipement de merde, officiers et sous-officiers les plus durs qui soient, sélection impitoyable... Tout militaire, officier ou pas, est censé saluer un légionnaire lorsqu'il le croise.
Also, one thing that can help you americans understand how different this is from regular army : most people who spend more than five years in Légion Etrangère are gone forever. It takes everything from you, there is no more "you". Nobody talks about his past (because sometimes it's very, very bad... many guys from Serbia, etc., but way back in times lot of ex-nazis), no one cares. It's all about being a one man army. Individuality is erased, there's no room for it anymore. For a reason : we french always send the Légion first. The Légion accomplished the most stupidly brave missions during its history. Légionnaires were singing while going to fire in Dien Bien Phu.
👍this youtuber only wants to make this great elite army bad.
Many of us are aware of the acts of mindless, unbelievable bravery the Legion is capable of. Their whole history is dotted with such acts. There is no Army like the Legion. Period. Maybe only the US Navy SEAL get a training as hardcore, and even that is debatable. But the human material is different. Only the Legion possesses such desperate, nothing to lose, ready for everything individuals. Thing is, the Legionnaire knows that his duty is to die and never, ever to surrender his weapons. No wonder it is the best fighting unit in the world....
Dark Vadertrauebrein I am not an expert, I do have military experience as a conscript in the Italian Infantry (granted, not as hardcore as the FFL or the Marines, but military training nonetheless and tough enough to inspire a spate of well-documented suicides in lads who tragically thought they didn’t have a way out of it). I shot extensively, dismantled and reassembled a Beretta BM 59 and a now-prehistoric Garand (yes, the very one immortalised in countless WW2 movies, although I did my service n 1990). Threw hand granades and marched, marched, marched, got punished for infractions and in hindsight had the last true great time of my life, even though I didn’t think so at the time. The military taught me many very valuable lessons that I carry with me to this day, 30 years since, and left me with an abiding interest in many facets of it. I wish conscription was obligatory in the West. And universal, for females too. It is clear to me that abolishing it has been a dreadful mistake. I have to agree, the SAS are very hardcore and only a selected few make it through, but they are more of a super-elite corp and it is my understanding that they are used for very delicate operation which require specialised skills. The FFL are thrown in any melee going, “first in, last out”. I don’t know the Commando Marine. The name is familiar and rings a bell, and I am sure I encountered the name while researching most recent conflicts in Africa and the Balkans, yet I do not know anything about it. Thanks for the tip, I shall research it!
Regular army doesn't salute Legionnaires
@@johnw5582 They are supposed to. A captain in the regular army should salute a legionnaire even if he's lower rank.
During my time in the Legion there were guys from every corner of the world and of life - ex IRA terrorists, ex Khmer Rouge, Drug dealers, Spetznaz and an ex-Spanish Foreign Legionnaire to name but a few. They were a mixed bag for sure. Life in the Legion is like a combination of being in jail and being a monk. The days are very long and frequently frustrating but there is nothing like walking out the gates of your Quartier (camp) for Quartier libre with a brilliant white Kepi on your head. If you are 5 mins late on camp in the morning (6am) then it's automatic 10 days in jail. Same if you are seen drinking from a bottle in the street or eating a burger. Maybe it's more relaxed now - but that's how it was when I was in, thirty years ago. Oh - and your comment about the scarred heads - it's rare to find one without scars ! It's five years not 3. You can get out after the first 6 months if you want.
We have some good guys on Saturday at 12 live chat. Legionnaires
C'est pas la joie ! Merci de ton engagement. Vive la Légion et vive le France !
Drinking from a bottle and eating a burger in the streets will get you in trouble? Like after service?
So is it funded by the French government? or is it a separate branch funded privately like black water?
@@seankoonce4779 funded by government
I'm a DoD civilian and Army Reservist with 18 years of military service and 9 years of active duty service. I have one deployment to Afghanistan for 8 months and really enjoyed my time in the Middle East. My plan is to do 30 years in the Army and I'm going back on active duty now for 1-2 years to get me closer to my minimum retirement points. The biggest influencer and mentor in my life was a US Marine who taught me martial arts, he was a Marine stationed on Okinawa and earned his black belt in the late 70s early 80s on the island. He passed away in 89 but not a day goes by I don't think of how that one Marine changed my life and woke me up. I named my son after him. Keep up the great work on your channel!
The translation in the subtitles is funny:
-In french "shut the fu*k off !!"
-Translation: "go!"
Respect aux légionnaires, ils sont toujours les premiers sur le terrain.
only 20% of ppl in the world speak French, please use English. The world language!
@Bouboule bouboule tu m'a tué 😂
@@jasonmeister6988 I don't read or speak French, but it looks like he wrote that French soldiers are the best in the world. He's entitled to his opinion.
He said respect for "légionnaires" because they are always first on the field
Jason Meister yes but we don’t want to use your language because we prefer our language. So go home and leave him alone bro. Ok ?
FYI. It's considered almost an insult to tell a Legionnaire that he's a mercenary. They consider themselves Volunteers.
Mercenaries are volunteer too, you don't get drafted into a private military company 😂😂😂
That said they are not mercenaries I agree but I can't claim to know what they think or like that would be ludicrous.
Legio Patria Nostra, (The Legion is our Fatherland) it is the motto of the French Foreign Legion. The point Alejandro made is that a légionnaire enrolled for a new life as a French soldier, they are gratefull for a second chance in life and that's why they have the reputation of ruthless fearsome opponents. They don't fight for money or glory, they fight because of gratitude and genuine love for their new country.
Because they aren't mercenaries. They are part of the French armed forces. Specifically the French Army.
@@jamesbooker9411 Actually all mercs are not volunteers. Some are victims of circumstance and geography. Just because you get paid does not mean you are willing. You have obviously fuck-all experience.
@@jamesbooker9411 All mercenaries are volunteers but not all volunteers are mercenaries
A lot of Irish blokes who have served stayed in France after their service ended.
I really like this video and would like to see the next two parts. Back in the mid 80's I had a friend who was getting out of the Marines and always talked about and actually corresponded with them, he was planning to go to France and join the FFL, back then I remember he said it was 5yr minimum enlistment, I never heard from him again after his discharge, so maybe he did, I like to think so because he had no family and was a Damn Good Marine & Friend.
Still 5 years. It’s very interesting as a jarhead. Part 2 is good. Working on Part 3. They are long but very interesting. The ffl does not mess around. Semper Fi.
As I understand it, if a Legionnaire is wounded before his five years, he is granted French citizenship. Pour le sang
Didn't know that (and I am French ^^) but I can tell that they gain french Citizenship after serving 5 years into the Legion (which is the lenght of the contract they sign and you can renew). If they don't act dishonorably, at the end of the 5 years, they become French.
Exact. Français par le sang versé. To be fair surviving the five first years is not as easy as it may sound. These guys go straight to the point after training (in the fucking jungle with the shitiest gear you could think of, meaning dying there is frequent).
here from fFrance, I just discovered your channel, gotta say i really enjoy the way you analyse and talk about all the details you see. you've got a kind a respectful way to see things, thanks for all that sir !
I recommend the UA-cam channel of 'Thomas Gast', this guy served in the legion for 17 years! Very interesting.
I was stationed at Camp Lemonnier Djibouti for a year with a CJTF. It was a former FFL post but they moved away from the coast. They ran a desert school and we met about once every 60 days for different events. Very professional.
As a french, i love that lost officiers are foreigners, it shows how serious the legion is about giving you a chance to make something out of your life, even if your skills are dodgy, they'll teach you to put them to use.
I believe there is a misunderstanding about starting with a clean slate. Blood crime prevents you entering Foreign Legion
Makes sense. I like the way you phrased it.
Anything blood or drug related*
they recently included sex related crimes
is some past ninja-looting in WoW ok?
depuis récement un crime de sang avant n'empechait pas de rentrer dans la légion étrangère
As always. Balanced and fair. Thank you.
My youngest son is currently going through the application process for the Royal Marines.
From what I remember -- from the mid-1980s when I and two of my buddies were going to get out at expiration of our enlistments and then join the Legion -- the recruiter we talked to in Italy (we were on a Med pump and found the Legion recruiter at an office in town) said it was a five year commitment, no questions asked, and they'd teach you French and everything else you'd need. He didn't soft pedal how difficult it could be but he said the ones who already had military experience tended to do just fine. He was also going on about 3 R.E.I. or the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment and talking up its location (French Guyana) and all the cool training they did. We all decided to stay in the U.S. military, though, and we each made it to our retirement eligibility.
P.S. We in the U.S. military tend to poke fun at the French and their armed forces ("Cheese-eating surrender monkeys," etc.), but those Legion guys are HARD CORE, and they always have been.
As a French, thank you. And i confirm the cheese-eating part of the stereotype is right.
A LOUD voice always keeps your attention !! Much needed , 40 yrs ago and still today !! It stays in the back of your head forever !! No Bill Murray " STRIPES "
Someone was sent back home from entrance exams because of his ekg having something abnormal right at the end of the recording. He had to get checked by a doctor and come back later on. Some had to fix teeth issues and come back later. Enjoying your videos from France.
Wow. I can see the ekg part for sure. Teeth just yank them. Like there standards.
So glad you made this series! Thank you for making this for the community!
Got out of the marine corps in 03. I was a 81mm mortar men. I remember we did some cross training with these guys. They were on the gun line next to us. One night a couple of us were hanging out and one tried an mre and said these are disgusting and I wouldn't feed these to pigs. We all started laughing our asses off. They were a good group of men. Just a funny memory I thought I'd share. Cool vid and take care everyone.
When I joined in 1965 I knew a lot about the military and my Dad was a ChifeMAsterSargent (E-:9). Somehow my DI found out that my Dad was a lifer. Basic was not easy. After basic I spent a 60 day in-place assignment,waiting for a school to open. It wasn’t hard. It was USAF before you start ragging on me just remember how many time you took a plane to get where you were going to be the bad ass. I retired in 1996. You do the math. To all the Hero’s I served with. Thank you.
Really interesting to watch your reactions, ideas, from a US Marine point of view ! Very insightful, relevant and at the same time very respectful. You just won a new french follower, Sir !
I am an Englishman from London. I served 5 years in the French Foriegn Legion Airborne ( 2eme REP ) based in Calvi, Corsica, 1982-1987. I spent a total of 8 months in Africa (Djibouti, Central African Republic ) I was at one point, reduced to a gibbering wreck, after being beaten up on several occasions for not being up to scratch. I persevered and got throught it in the end, and left honourably after serving my 5 years. I am very proud to say that I was a Legionnaire.
Republic )
I bet you are
Bravo pour ce que tu as fait 👍
@No Signal The British Army would not accept me, as I was convicted 4 times for stupid things I did when I was a kid.
Keith Parfitt nice
Respect...
FYI: French passport is overall WAY better than US one:
-More place you can go without visa (186 visa-free countries versus 185 for USA)
-More importantly, you can work anywhere in Europe without a work permit/visa
The second one is a huge deal, I worked in Belgium, Spain, and Ireland without needing to do any paperwork.
One less visa-free country you can enter is by no means WAY better. Also, the fact that you can work anywhere in Europe is great... if you want to work there. Then again, it's the same concept in The U.S. You don't need a work permit to work in another state. So again, I'm not sure it's WAY better.
@@everythingisaworkinprogres5729 wow as a US citizen you can work everywhere in USA! Must feel amazing to know that you don't need a work visa to work in you OWN country....
O_O
@@aubinaps1427 apparently the concept was lost on you... Let me spell it out for ya then: The E.U. is basically the same concept as The U.S. Hopefully you can take it from there... oof.
@@everythingisaworkinprogres5729 the same concept as US? Oh boy, you must be a big troll or American to say such stupid things... That's time for me to run away from your stupidity till I can. Long live to the Troll!
this guy who was a us marine who joined the French foreign legion on UA-cam his names soldier of fortune, you should check it out. Great video by the way
straight and to the point thank you for your service
I like this guys point about gamers thinking military is some thing like call of duty. Ppl really need to take training serious.
Bullcrap. No gamer is thinking that a real millitary is like dance. Atleast no Gamer with a bain.
I watched this video with much interest and must say that you are a typical Marine; Sarcastic, Funny, well informed, straight to the point and smart. Thank you from a Red Leg (Army) that had the privilege to conduct operations with Marines in the Middle East and South America.
I was there, after getting kick out of U.S military, (25th ID Schofield) 1989, Still seem to do things exactly the same. Not much has changed. Good vids, keep going.
French legion recruitement is mostly word of mouth, but for "Regular" military, they play stupid ads on tv just like in the US to recruit call of duty gamers. The foreign legion is way different than a regular soldier in france. We consider the foreign legion soldiers as the most crasy, dedicated, hard working people in the army, big respect to them.
This is GREAT! Please keep the parts two and three coming. Thank you!
As a french military I love to see this vidéo from a foreign point of view ! And it is the same for all military formation in France : “legion ; terre ; air ; gendarmerie (military police)” if you don’t like it or don’t make it, you leave ! you’re refreshing dude !
Calm down, there is a huge difference between legion and others, my cousin and his friend goes to army, my cousin in "terre" and his friend in air, and they said, totaly different, the french air army is hippies, relax, don't even make the salutation.
The truth is that with those who require motivation need to be shouted at. If you have your own motivation there is no need to be shouted at. e.g. Gurkha's require no FURTHER motivation. They are already motivated and you will rarely see a Gurkha be shouted at. That concept has pervaded the UK military over 200 years, so regularly, there is no need to shout.
.....I served with them in Bosnia and Kosovo...and apart from a small tear gas incident (where they were not fucking around!) They were (are) great blokes....
Want them on OUR side....GREAT GUYS...GREAT ATTITUDE.....Good boys
Yes, give us part 2 and three please. I like the fact you're a straight shooter.
Today biggest day for the Legion, 30 april, anniversary of the Battle of Camerone
Pierre Hachin they lost. Respect for the Legion.
@@stevenkelly2477 65 Legionnaires vs. 3000 Mexican Army soldiers and cavalry. Legion killed nearly 3 times their number. They may have lost but considering what the odds were, anyone would have. But they made the Mexican Army feel it.
zagorith14 ok...I know all about the failed French expedition in Mexico in the 1860s and the legendary wooden arm of capitaine Danjou killed at the 1863 battle of Cameron in Mexico. I’m glad France ( invaders) 🇫🇷 lost and was kicked out of there yrs later.
Pierre Hachin in that conflict...no. Beninto Juarez ( underground president of Mexico at the time) appealed to Abe Lincoln for help to rid his country of imperialist France who invaded his country and placed a Austrian prince as a false ruler. Violation of the Monroe Doctrine.
@@stevenkelly2477 Shut up Benito was traitor and Maximillian was the best leader Mexico ever had.
Having everyone work their way up from the bottom and not starting people off as officers makes so much sense.
There are also direct entry officers in the Legion.
Could the FFL be the last military organization on the planet that doesn't give a flying F about political correctness? If so, then I'll encourage my stepson to join!
Sadly no. The presenter didnt understand the point. It was more of a reference to the typical image from famous black and white movies (abbot and costello) about the Legion, nothing to do with being bad ass . It had nothing to do with political correctness. Thankfully a white hat can still be considered pc.
You don't "Join". It's a pretty damn big sacrifice
They only accept 1500 applicants each year. They do not care what
Country ,race or political parties.
You will be French !
Wouldnt recomend. Most are running from their countries after commiting some pretty bad crimes. Some famous pedos went, for example.
Lucy Fe huuuuge BS said here. This is not true anymore since the 60's at least. The Legion has access to the Interpol and Europol databases to check the enlisted records. Criminals are not allowed to join
My uncle was in the legion and fought in indochina. He died in 1989.
All my respect for your uncle and Thank you .
Down Bien Phu?
Thumb up for your uncle! may he get your back from where he is
My grandfather too! He got over 90 years old. One day he called me on my birthday and told me a story. He said when he was 23 years old, he laid in the ananas field and was shot trough his hat. He was also shot in his ass. He always wanted to write a book because he saw so much but didn't tell his stories very often or all of them. Unfortunately he never wrote it down and all his stories died with him... What a shame.
He was quite funny sometimes but also a little crazy and definitely a very hard man. I was told that in his youth they all had respect for him or were scared.
How would one join the legion?
My Uncle Clayton Jordan served two tours in Vietnam with the United states Green Berets;Retired in 1980 with 30 years 2 months and 16 days, he retired in France; he once said the French Foreign Legion members were squared away,please show more videos
I think the US equivalent of this would be some kid from Slovakia going to the US to become an Army Ranger and not speaking a word of English. Imagine trying to learn a new language while training at the same time. They give non French speakers basic French lessons but it's still a challenge. Hats off to them.
Friend of mine did 5yrs in the Legion back in the 80's. He said the training was brutal, they pt the shit out of you if you didn't learn french fast enough, he was paid crappy. But you will be able to handle yourself- speak french & have some good times. Now I hear it's mostly eastern euros & asians joining
Nowadays they don’t like westerners. They prefer Eastern European’s and Asians.
Because, one guy who did training said that westerners may find it to be shit and poor quality and as a result run away. That’s his quote.
Westerners are too soft.
Read Appel. A Canadian joel struthers tells his story about his experience. You gotta be tough to do 5 years.
How would one join the legion?
@@scudb5509 Brits have been running away from the legion for 100s of years. High rate in the 80s.
Countries need more of this, Soldiers willing to give everything away that was for a future that is the military for the nation.
The name change and such comes from the history of the legion due to those originally joining being exiles or ex-criminals wanting a change of life and the new identity is a gift of that. Fresh start and new beginnings and all that. The history of the legion is incredibly interesting. Honestly worth reading into extensively, very heroic and very fascinating stuff, the wooden arm of Jean Danjou is very awesome indeed and the battle in Mexico that him and his outnumbered men were in. They took an oath to Jean Danjou to not surrender. The last 6 men had no ammunition left by the end and instead of surrendering they fixed bayonets and charged the surrounding enemy, very incredibly heroic stuff and for me personally it is even more special knowing that the men in the legion were originally (on inception of the organisation) viewed by leadership as expendable and possibly unreliable due to their precarious past (obviously that opinion quickly crumbled and did not last long at all). I'm not French and nor have I ever been in the legion, I'm just a fan of military history, but I feel like everyone can learn a lot from the strength of the men who join the military and apply that strength of character and physical strength to whatever path they follow (proof that celebrities and such shouldn't be the role models but men and women who sacrafice everything, no matter what field of study or practice should be the ones held on that podium of respect)
I guess the EKG or ECG will thoroughly determine any heart abnormality that would deem a recruit physically unable to be a serviceman. Some of them might not even know what underlying conditions they might have.
the legion in France is considered an elite unit!!
The Legion IS an elite unit!
@Chris Farrell ye ye Americans are the best blah blah blah that conversation is bullshit too
I spent 8 years in the Corps, self discipline played a large part of training. We were expected to think for ourselves, nobody got us up in the morning, nobody marched us to the armoury to draw our weapons and nobody stood over us while we got the accommodation ready for rounds. However if you failed to show self discipline in any aspects of training then you could stand by for a beasting. Royal Marines pride themselves on not having to be told to do a task that needs completing, training is hard, on average each troop ends up with 17 originals out of an intake of 55.
Couldn't agree more mate, as a collegue of mine once said, the one distinguishable difference between the corps and the Army is that in the Army you are trained to listen and obey orders almost to the letter. But a bootneck is trained to think. Think outside the box even. Otherwise the whole concept of commando, from the St.Nazaire raid to Afghan would mean absolutely fuck all.
@@flankingtheenemy your friend was talking out of his ass. I have spent 20 years in the Army and I am here to tell you that the idea of a soldier not being taught to think for themselves to be innovative is silly.
How would one join the legion?
@@thomashope7514 I think he means moreso in the sense that a small group of junior enlisted can be trusted to do the job in an efficient and effective manner. Whereas, let's be honest here, you cannot say the same thing about the Army if there is no higher-up around to make sure the job gets done.
Reminds me of something R Heinlein wrote about in Starship Troopers. They EARN citizenship thru military service. Not a bad idea.
Mx that's a terrible idea
Yeah not a horrible idea as long as you dont actually think about it
Some sort of public service helps to expose young people to the differences in the country rather than us all being aliens to each other. Bring back the draft.
@@55Bentley6 thats not the military's job simply
Conscript militarys are unamerican, inefficient, and ineffective.
Aswell we simply dont need that many joes
@@mondaysinsanity8193 It's not a bad idea for a chimp.
Im french. And everybody back to France know that it is the ultimate second chance program. Proud that you make video on that subjet. 💪🙏
It is one way to be French, by: "spilled blood". If they make their duty correctly, that is worth it.
It will be etched in their memory for the rest of their life. The road will be steep ...
I learned that. Makes a lot of sense to me.
A lot of respect for the Legion! There has to be a place where someone can go to straighten out their lives.
In my opinion just wanting to try to improve yourself is the first major step!
None of us are perfect.
Yes I think this subject is a great idea
I remember watching this series on TV a long time back. It's great to see you talk about it here.
I had a staff Sargent during Basic Training who had served in the Legion. Boy was he a great fellow but a complete nut.
Ah the memories.
There’s a difference between Army Boot Camp and Army infantry Boot Camp. Would love for you to give Army infantry Boot Camp a go!
Check out my second video. It's at Fort Benning and is much more impressive than the first one as far as the Army DIs go.
Only Marines go to the boot camp army don't lol
Part 3 PLEASE!!! You are appreciated!!!
Did you know ?
The legionnaires already native French-speakers in the engagement (because that also exists!) are in big majority ... FRENCH quite simply. But as the law of engagement in the Legion obliges to have a foreign nationality, they are counted as "foreigners" by taking nationalities of French-speaking countries in Europe or in the world, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada, African countries, etc...
Yes I want more videos. Greetings from Switzerland. Next to France.
Lukas. Thanks for watching. Any thing you would like to see.
The screaming and yelling is absolutely needed. It ensures that you can preform, think under pressure!
08:05: Somehow like mercenaries? Well, let us keep in mind that the Legion is NOT a mercenary corps.
It is an official corps of the French Armed Forces, under governmental control, and liable to French military laws.
This is nothing like an SMP.
They say that because most people think that if you are not fighting for the country you were borned in you are a mercenary, it doesn't matter if you have a paper saying you are part of the army. Same thing happened with corsairs and pirats. They were not navy men, they were criminals with a British, French, Spanish or Latin American countries authorization to rob and kill.
@@PATO-ep5sc What do they think "Legio Patria Nostra" means?
Btw, you're talking about Privateers, who had commissions from their countries, to take foreign merchant ships during times of war. That was legal and as such not criminals and not pirates (who didn't have any commission or authorisation to take ships).
@@PATO-ep5sc So if a serviceman or woman, who isn't either a naturalized citizen or native to the US (green card holder or "permanent resident"), joins the US military it makes them a merc? No.
That, and considering the fact that you can apply to get French citizenship after 3 years of service of a 5 year enlistment period, you can very well become a citizen of France while serving.
A mercenary is a professional soldier working for foreign military's for the specific purpose of making money. There may be some who do serve with prior military service, but that's not always the case. And the FFL being unique in that you actually can acquire citizenship during your service.
Pirates and corsairs were very different from privateers. That's a distinction you fail to make.
People: “You don’t need to yell to get your point across”
JT: “I think you’re full of sh!t”
Best argument ever.
Ask anyone in the IDF how to train recruits without yelling at them.
You only need to yell at people that have no brain.
One thing to keep in mind, when you yell at someone it will make that person uneasy and add stress to any situation, the ability to adapt to this added stress is key to mission successfulness. If getting yelled at bothers a recruiter, just wait till they are getting shot at.
@@lpg12338 i had a sgt, that yell at me, that stresst me out, because i had to hide my laugh.
After i became a sgt. i never yell, i stresst my recruits of different ways.
@@Hirnknaker Sir, recruits can be stressed by different methods, good on you for finding another method, while hopefully accomplishing the same goal. Depending on the task at hand time can be a stress inducer. 👍
Excellent excellent video from a former Marine living in France (wife is french) and have met some x-Legionnaires
Regarding the comment regarding foreign nationals never being a thing in the US military, in my platoon on PI we had a recruit from Jamaica, The Bahamas, two Dominicans, two Filipinos and one from Trinidad & Tobago.
If I said that it was a mistake. We had Russians, Aussies and Mexicans. Good dudes.
San Diego?
But you must have à proper visa or green card, to enlist un marines or army?
@@fredericbouh4955 Inquire through your local US Consulate or Embassy. If successful, green cards are issued.
You get yelled at in training because in war you don’t get the option of silence. You have to perform in the most hectic environment known to man.
The yelling. A science unto itself.
The skill is knowing when to yell and when to pull someone aside and have a word. That makes a great NCO.
I have seen the whole video on you tube. They even trained in French Guiana, down in South America. Very intense training and decipline and very difficult, muddy, dangerous challenges in the jungle and can be life threatening. It's no joke, one needs full dedication to go thru. They eventually served in war zone Afghanistan. The training is just the start of a life of challenges.