Joining The French Foreign Legion

[skb12172]

As someone who dealt in guns and milsurp stuff I met more than my fair share of 'Walts' who claimed to be ex-Legion.
It's an easier trick to pull than claiming to be ex-UK military because you can make up stuff that isn't easily checked.
Most of those dickheads didn't realise that Legionnaires have to learn functional, if not fluent, French though.

Thinking about it, it's a pretty sad state of affairs when your countries most elite fighting force consists of foreigners.

I used to go drinking sometimes with an ex-member of Deuxieme Para, Frances next most elite formation - Jacques his name was. He was an OK guy but couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. His Gallic pride combined with his lack of martial prowess got him thrown through a window on more than one occasion - kind of ironic for a Para - maybe he liked getting the air time ?

Snort...what is a "Walt?"

[Aglifter]

In all fairness, I'm not sure that soldiers have much hand to hand training.

[Highspeed]

Snort...what is a "Walt?"

It's UK slang for a military wannabee or never-was

Comes from the film " The secret life of Walter Mitty "

Can sometimes be used as a friendly insult to an oppo who has Gucci kit, but you would usually say he was 'warry'

I'll let Rusty Ray explain all that, he's pukka green machine

[Highspeed]

In all fairness, I'm not sure that soldiers have much hand to hand training.

French 2 Para don't and that's a fact.

[slowpoke]

I'm reminded of USMC Major Ortiz who served in the Legion twice before joining the marines at the beginning of WW2.

Ortiz was tall, athletically built, handsome, and had a military carriage, which is understandable since he had served over five years with the Legion, and it is also understandable that he stood out from the rest of the recruits in his boot platoon. In addition, he wore his decorations, which caused no little interest by his DIs and the senior officers at Parris Island. Colonel Louis R. Jones, a well-decorated World War I Marine and at this time Chief of Staff at the Recruit Depot, wrote the Commandant of the Marine Corps about Ortiz on 14 July. He enclosed in his letter copies of Ortiz' citations for the French awards together with Ortiz' application for a commission.

Read the whole thing if you haven't heard of him.