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New UK memoir

Peter Lyderik

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From amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Camp-Fr...8761929&sr=1-4&keywords=french+foreign+legion

My Camp: Life in the French Foreign Legion
Kindle Edition by J. R. Lawrence (Author)

Follow the story of a young man, who, through a chance encounter in prison, leaves his life of crime and joins the ranks of one of the world's toughest fighting forces.

J. R. Lawrence served in the 3rd company of the parachute regiment (2REP) from 2007 - 2011.

This is the most recent book on the Foreign Legion, and it includes a chapter on the war in Afghanistan.

He has a blog: https://j-r-lawrence.tumblr.com/
 

USMCRET

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I read this and I can tell you I see two very distinct signals that worry me:

1st, there is always that over bearing young NCO. a NCO that has never been trained properly and tempered by experienced Staff Non-commissioned Officers, in the Marine Corps, Staff Sergeant and Above are SNCOs, this young Corporal, as described, needed his Adjutant to get into his ass. It is one thing to insist your young Marines and Legionnaires are squared away; however, it crosses a line of being a true leader whom can motivate and guide young Legionnaires. I can recall a very similar instance in my Marine Corps career, there was a young Staff Sergeant who had just completed a tour of Duty as a Marine Corps Drill Instructor. Well, SSgt X had to get the Platoon ready for an inspection prior to deployment. The preparation began to aggravate him so he reverted back to being a Drill Instructor and he had all of the Marines in the Platoon do it by the numbers, that is to say he would give a command, "All entrenching tools in the air, all bayonets, ...Bag Them, meaning place them in the sea bag. The commanding officer, a Lieutenant Colonel got wind of this and he brought this young SSgt in for counseling. "SSgt, these are Marines, not recruits back in boot camp in your platoon. You will treat them accordingly. Sergeant Major (most Senior Enlisted in a Marine Battalion) correct your SNCO." The Sergeant Major taught the SSgt how to lead. Maybe in this case French Foreign Legion tradition is far different and this was the way in which the young Legionnaire Corporal handled the situation based on history and tradition; however, I would believe there were other Corporals that should have pulled him aside and talked to him about how to lead Legionnaires effectively.

2nd, the author, I have seen Marine whom bitched, complained, feigned illness, and so on. Believe me, EVERY MARINE SNCO OR NCO HAVE DEALT WITH A 4-YEAR LANCE CORPORAL! A 4-year LCpl is a Marine that never got with the program. A Marine that showed up looking like shit, un-ironed and dirty uniform, hands in his pockets, and so on. To them any attempt to get them to be Marines in the fullest sense was damned near impossible and futile for the NCO, SNCO, or Platoon Commander. Sooner or later (mostly sooner) these turd were shit out of the Marine Corps and we (ME I was a SNCO) made their lives hell. I refused to accept their bitching and whining they could never get promoted, their fat ass could not run, force march, they looked like shit in uniform, and they were just SHIT BIRDS, as we referred to them, and they never got promoted and every Corporal, Sergeant, or Staff Sergeant was "killing them or being MEAN to them. We would say "Suck it The F&^% Up, get hard or GET OUT!"

Just my humble perspective on what I read. I can see it both way here, which one has merit here? I don't know.

I defer to the true Legionnaires in this forum and their expert leadership to weigh in here.

Just a Marine Staff Non-commissioned Officer (Staff Sergeant) Retired
 

mark wake

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I read this and I can tell you I see two very distinct signals that worry me:

1st, there is always that over bearing young NCO. a NCO that has never been trained properly and tempered by experienced Staff Non-commissioned Officers, in the Marine Corps, Staff Sergeant and Above are SNCOs, this young Corporal, as described, needed his Adjutant to get into his ass. It is one thing to insist your young Marines and Legionnaires are squared away; however, it crosses a line of being a true leader whom can motivate and guide young Legionnaires. I can recall a very similar instance in my Marine Corps career, there was a young Staff Sergeant who had just completed a tour of Duty as a Marine Corps Drill Instructor. Well, SSgt X had to get the Platoon ready for an inspection prior to deployment. The preparation began to aggravate him so he reverted back to being a Drill Instructor and he had all of the Marines in the Platoon do it by the numbers, that is to say he would give a command, "All entrenching tools in the air, all bayonets, ...Bag Them, meaning place them in the sea bag. The commanding officer, a Lieutenant Colonel got wind of this and he brought this young SSgt in for counseling. "SSgt, these are Marines, not recruits back in boot camp in your platoon. You will treat them accordingly. Sergeant Major (most Senior Enlisted in a Marine Battalion) correct your SNCO." The Sergeant Major taught the SSgt how to lead. Maybe in this case French Foreign Legion tradition is far different and this was the way in which the young Legionnaire Corporal handled the situation based on history and tradition; however, I would believe there were other Corporals that should have pulled him aside and talked to him about how to lead Legionnaires effectively.

2nd, the author, I have seen Marine whom bitched, complained, feigned illness, and so on. Believe me, EVERY MARINE SNCO OR NCO HAVE DEALT WITH A 4-YEAR LANCE CORPORAL! A 4-year LCpl is a Marine that never got with the program. A Marine that showed up looking like shit, un-ironed and dirty uniform, hands in his pockets, and so on. To them any attempt to get them to be Marines in the fullest sense was damned near impossible and futile for the NCO, SNCO, or Platoon Commander. Sooner or later (mostly sooner) these turd were shit out of the Marine Corps and we (ME I was a SNCO) made their lives hell. I refused to accept their bitching and whining they could never get promoted, their fat ass could not run, force march, they looked like shit in uniform, and they were just SHIT BIRDS, as we referred to them, and they never got promoted and every Corporal, Sergeant, or Staff Sergeant was "killing them or being MEAN to them. We would say "Suck it The F&^% Up, get hard or GET OUT!"

Just my humble perspective on what I read. I can see it both way here, which one has merit here? I don't know.

I defer to the true Legionnaires in this forum and their expert leadership to weigh in here.

Just a Marine Staff Non-commissioned Officer (Staff Sergeant) Retired

aye we shall deal with this! I saw on his blog he had the balls to post a photo of one of the lads that is almost forty years old! Just another wanker trying to make a name for himself! Does not impress me one bit!
 

John Murray

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Hi

This is my book, if you have any questions about it, I will be happy to answer them.

I have been in talks with a few literary agents and publishers and they want me to chop about a third off (500 pages is too long for them).

However, I have read the reviews on some of the other Legion books and people seem to want some more detail, so that's why I stuck the original manuscript on Amazon.

The title that the shortened version will be published under is "Mongol: My Life in the French Foreign Legion" so don't bother reading that if you have read "My Camp" (there's no Nazi stuff BTW, I just wanted a provocative title)
 

John Murray

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aye we shall deal with this! I saw on his blog he had the balls to post a photo of one of the lads that is almost forty years old! Just another wanker trying to make a name for himself! Does not impress me one bit!

I just used some photos that I got from a google image search.

I obviously wasn't trying to pass those photos off as me (I have a picture of me as my avatar and I am only 30 years old)
 

mark wake

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I just used some photos that I got from a google image search.

I obviously wasn't trying to pass those photos off as me (I have a picture of me as my avatar and I am only 30 years old)

Good for you. Why did'nt you use photo's from your own era?
 

John Murray

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You posted a photo of one of the lads in kolwezi! That gives me every right to question you! Under no obligation? I will leave that to others!

go **** yourself you narcissistic douche bag

You are a whiny little bitch and I don't care what you think

I will not change that photo and I will not explain myself to you

so just let the butthurt flow through you
 

mark wake

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go **** yourself you narcissistic douche bag

You are a whiny little bitch and I don't care what you think

I will not change that photo and I will not explain myself to you

so just let the butthurt flow through you

So. You are now showing your true colors! My case rests!
 

John Murray

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So. You are now showing your true colors! My case rests!

who started off by calling who a wanker? and saying that they were going to deal with me?

and sure these are my true colors

I don't take shit from anyone, so deal with it

and what case you ******* idiot?

you started bitching about me using a photo that wasn't mine on a blog post, so how does me calling you out for being a shithead prove anything?

your below 70 IQ is showing, so just give up

P.S. I have seen some of your other posts and you are just an arsehole, but now that you get called out you cry and try to claim the moral high ground.

Really, that is some weak shit
 

mark wake

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who started off by calling who a wanker? and saying that they were going to deal with me?

and sure these are my true colors

I don't take shit from anyone, so deal with it

and what case you ******* idiot?

you started bitching about me using a photo that wasn't mine on a blog post, so how does me calling you out for being a shithead prove anything?

your below 70 IQ is showing, so just give up

P.S. I have seen some of your other posts and you are just an arsehole, but now that you get called out you cry and try to claim the moral high ground.

Really, that is some weak shit[/ i
 

mark wake

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who started off by calling who a wanker? and saying that they were going to deal with me?

and sure these are my true colors

I don't take shit from anyone, so deal with it

and what case you ******* idiot?

you started bitching about me using a photo that wasn't mine on a blog post, so how does me calling you out for being a shithead prove anything?

your below 70 IQ is showing, so just give up

P.S. I have seen some of your other posts and you are just an arsehole, but now that you get called out you cry and try to claim the moral high ground.

Really, that is some weak shit[/ i
. I asked you a simple question! So just answer it without all the insults!
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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go **** yourself you narcissistic douche bag

You are a whiny little bitch and I don't care what you think

I will not change that photo and I will not explain myself to you

so just let the butthurt flow through you

John Murray, you give me the impression that you have one enormous chip on your shoulder. You are only 30 so did your legion service quite recently. Mark Wake who is a well respected member of the forum jumped at Kolwezi, I'd say he he desrved a lot more respect than that.

I understand that you have joined the forum to promote your book, that's only normal. But while you are on the forum try and show a bit of respect for those who were there before you even thought of joining the legion.
 

mark wake

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I already did remember "because I am under no obligation to"

I used the photo because I wanted to.

Is that clear enough for you?

What is clear to me is that you are an arrogant little shit! And that's putting it mildly! I won't go down the same path as you with all the insults etc. Anybody who buys your book needs their head examined!
 

John Murray

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John Murray, you give me the impression that you have one enormous chip on your shoulder. You are only 30 so did your legion service quite recently. Mark Wake who is a well respected member of the forum jumped at Kolwezi, I'd say he he desrved a lot more respect than that.

I understand that you have joined the forum to promote your book, that's only normal. But while you are on the forum try and show a bit of respect for those who were there before you even thought of joining the legion.

Ok I will leave the forum then

I will not be made to respect people who start off by calling me a wanker, and no I don't care when he joined the Legion or how old he is (That is no excuse for being a prick online)

If he had been polite I would have obliged him, but you get what you give

This forum reminds me of why I was happy to leave the foreign legion
 

Peter Lyderik

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@John Murray. Please, a summery of your time in the Legion. Like, how much time did 2 REP use to train/prepare before Afghanistan service. How long time in Afghanistan, etc, etc.
 
O

Ossie O

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@John Murray. Please, a summery of your time in the Legion. Like, how much time did 2 REP use to train/prepare before Afghanistan service. How long time in Afghanistan, etc, etc.

I concur, the Chef de Corps was Colonel Bellot des Minieres when 2REP did their tour of Afghanistan '2010. I still remember him as a young Lieutenant arriving at 3Cie back in the late 1980's. To John Murray, the man that smokes bongs like a beast (his words not mine), do not leave the forum....but Mark W has a pertinent point. Post your own photos, or don't you have any from your stint at Calvi?
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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John, no-one asked you to leave the forum. Peter has a few interesting questions, would you take the time to answer.

Ossie, it's because of Belloch (the politician) that I went to the 3rd company after being sent as renfort to the company in Arta. I ran the foyer there for four months. I must have done something right.
 
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