New UK memoir

[Chas]

John Murray,

I am much older than most of you. I dislike Anciens especially those in Green foul mouthing and castigating their fellows.
It is much better to e-mail them privately. Also it does not inspire Aspirants who look to this forum for advice.
I joined this forum out of respect for the Foreign Legion. Years before you were born we fought together and did joint exercises in the Med.
Hence further comment is otiose.

 

[USMCRET]

Please, respect for the Anciens!

I read the blog and from my perspective and experience I see my 2nd Point more so than the first. I am not saying the Traditions of the Legion mat not be rough and some may see it as brutal; but, from where do they come and what atmosphere were they raised in? A rough kid off of the street will see this as tradition as not all that bad, a gentle lad will see this as brutality.

What strikes me most is that this piece (Blog) may be taken out of context and it may tarnish the Legion as a whole and that, I do not believe is fair portrait of what the Legion is.

Let me tell you, in my opinion, there is no organization like the French Foreign Legion in the world which I know of that takes in questionable people, people with minor mistakes, and maybe even a little more serious of an offender and molds them into a Legionnaire and into a mature productive person. If it were not for the Legion many, many men would not have become what they are. Many would be criminals, rapist, murderers, thieves, and so on.

You have absolutely no shot a being enlisted in the United States Marine Corps with a minor Police record. Young men like Finleythefox or 666 from this forum now have a chance to serve and are serving as Legionnaires. I enlisted 100 Young men into the Marine Corps, but to get to the 100 mark, it took me going through hundreds to find the 100 that were acceptable and actually enlisted.

 

[Chas]

You will not get into the RM, with any type of criminal record, however minor.

Not knocking them but Paras are less restrictive but you have to be lucky.

USMCRET is correct the Foreign Legion offers you a wonderful second chance.

For some it remains a golden opportunity. So Carpe Diem.

 

[Joseph Cosgrove]

You will not get into the RM, with any type of criminal record, however minor.

Not knocking them but Paras are less restrictive but you have to be lucky.

USMCRET is correct the Foreign Legion offers you a wonderful second chance.

For some it remains a golden opportunity. So Carpe Diem.

And it does which is probably why you get some of the overlooked best soldiers in the world.

John Murray can you give us some indication why you didn't manage to complete your five year contract? I'm a bit of a stickler for that. I know that even if you are injured the legion will do whatever is necessary to keep it's part of the agreement. I was a garde punis for a year in the REP and have seen some pretty dramatic cases, but they have never led to being kicked out. There are exceptions as Ossie mentioned when the Brits blew up the flag pole, but I wasn't garde punis then.

 

[Chas]

John Murray,

I note in one of your posts that you state that this forum is indicative of why you were happy to quit the FFL.

I have also perused your Blog on experiences in the FFL commencing with the article headed ; Death in Djibouty.

I can only conclude that you did not enjoy your experience with the Legion.

So did you complete your contract with honour and fidelity ? Or were you medically discharged or did you opt out of your own accord ?

Your credence will be greatly enhanced by your reply. You can of course tell me to Foxtrot Oscar which I will accept, thus allowing me to come to my own conclusion. The choice is yours,

 

[Sarajevo1992]

Ok I will leave the forum then

and no I don't care when he joined the Legion or how old he is

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

Since you got no respect for anciens at all you are either a liar and fake or the biggest asshole on earth

 

[Joseph Cosgrove]

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.

Thought I might tell one of my extrodinary tales here concerning Capitaine Bellow des Minieres of the 3rd company 2 REP.
Being a Wednesday and the foyer closed the captain took me as his driver to go and visit one of the sections on terrain. I forget where his appointed driver was at the time. He wanted to go by a route marked on the map but which the locals said was unusable for vehicles.

so we are driving along the piste when it started to dramatically descend. A little furhter on there was a sheer drop on our left and a gorge in the middle. Too far to the right and we get stuck in the gorge and too far to the left, we're history. The captain suddenly shouts out did you see that. What Mon Capitaine I asked.
'Over there in the distance' he says pointing 'a group of oryx (gazelles)'.
My eyes were glued on the the track and my knuckles were turning white gripping the steering wheel.

So we meet up with the section and have lunch and the captain decides to do a cursory visit to the local Djiboutian military base before going back to Arta with the section.
When we pull up to the gates one of the soldiers bursts out of the gate and points his rifle at us screaming in Djiboutian. His eyes were bright red being high on Kat, the local weed that they masch.

The captain stays extremely calm and says 'Woria' (not sure how it's spelt it means man) and says some other words in the local language. Next thing the Djiboutian fires off a shot over our heads. The section pile out of the TRM 4000s and take up position. I'm looking down at the gear stick at reverse or first, thinking we either have to back up quick or I run the c*nt over. The captain remains calm and continues to try and calm down a Katted up Djiboutian soldier with a rifle pointing at us.

Fortunatly an NCO comes out and takes away the coulourd gentleman's rifle. The captain does his visit and we move on, not before time because I saw others sitting around chewing on green leaves.

 

[Joseph Cosgrove]

It does make you wonder why the bong beast would put out photos of an era that he knows nothing about. I don't think he is coming back. He's probably on another forum trying to push his book hoping that no-one will ask him why he only did 4 years.

Come in bong beast, can you read us bong beast?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MbM-iEKHQc

Nb. substitute bong beast Murray for Tango Papa Charlie.

 

[dusaboss]

Joe, did you tray chewing Kat while you were in Djibouti?

 

[Joseph Cosgrove]

Joe, did you tray chewing Kat while you were in Djibouti?

No mate, my only bad habit is beer,

 

[mark wake]

And it does which is probably why you get some of the overlooked best soldiers in the world.

John Murray can you give us some indication why you didn't manage to complete your five year contract? I'm a bit of a stickler for that. I know that even if you are injured the legion will do whatever is necessary to keep it's part of the agreement. I was a garde punis for a year in the REP and have seen some pretty dramatic cases, but they have never led to being kicked out. There are exceptions as Ossie mentioned when the Brits blew up the flag pole, but I wasn't garde punis then.

wish i had been there when they blew up the bloody flag pole! ha ha!

 

[Joseph Cosgrove]

wish i had been there when they blew up the bloody flag pole! ha ha!

Actually it wasn't a fun time for the Anglais de merde at all. I was a corporal Chef at the time and living out on town, but those in the camp got it really bad. I remember also when the mafia took the two canons from beside the flag pole and positioned them in the garden in front of the foyer facing the foyer because there was an inventaire taking place, so it was closed.

And also in 3REI when the mafia sent a drunken Brit to the top of the signals antenna mast to fly the Union Jack. The thing must have been 50 metres off the ground. Stupid? No. Mafia Anglaise!

 

[176607Mick]

No fun at all! They broke our balls for about a week. We were made to rassemblement outside the Officer de Permance one night to look at the new flagpole. Most of us walked off and went down the foyer for beers. In the end it became farcical, even threatening to send us all to Aubagne (someone at the back screamed out...alors, en route). Can you imagine the state of the overnight ferry arriving in Marseille, or the blokes on the plane to Paris!!!!. Some of the lads who had nothing to do with the incident were given severe beatings. The Anglais mafia stuck solid together. It was a relieve to get to Djibouti for a company tour a few months later.

Strangely when lucky and myself blew up the flagpole in Guyane, nothing really happened. There was two or three days of the Brits going to see Officers at the Bureau d'securite, no one got beaten up, and some Italian guy tried to own up but was dismissed straight away for being a tit. They knew it was the Brits but after a few days of keeping Schtum it sorted of faded away. We had a timer so once we set it, we legged to paranoid floyds room (PM) and he was witness to us being with him when it went off. Crazy days

 

[mark wake]

Actually it wasn't a fun time for the Anglais de merde at all. I was a corporal Chef at the time and living out on town, but those in the camp got it really bad. I remember also when the mafia took the two canons from beside the flag pole and positioned them in the garden in front of the foyer facing the foyer because there was an inventaire taking place, so it was closed.

And also in 3REI when the mafia sent a drunken Brit to the top of the signals antenna mast to fly the Union Jack. The thing must have been 50 metres off the ground. Stupid? No. Mafia Anglaise!

You are a brit yourself are you not? You sound more like a French warden! Never forget where you came from! I may live in the United States but a part of me will always be Brit! No matter. this is one of my last posts. Hope you get that moderater position on the forum.

 

[176607Mick]

You are a brit yourself are you not? You sound more like a French warden! Never forget where you came from! I may live in the United States but a part of me will always be Brit! No matter. this is one of my last posts. Hope you get that moderater position on the forum.

Are you binning it Mark?

 

[mark wake]

Are you binning it Mark?

Yeah mate. Had enough of the crap. You lot can always reach me at mjw_2para@yahoo.com all the best lads.

 

[176607Mick]

Yeah mate. Had enough of the crap. You lot can always reach me at mjw_2para@yahoo.com all the best lads.

Roger that..email noted. All the best mon brave

 

[176607Mick]

Mark, I feel your frustration at times. 95% of the young blokes that come on here are full of false bravado (majority of them get bored and move on). 1% of the remaining 5% have the mettle to go and knock on the big gate. It's because of the 1% I stay, plus there is the old guard eg: Volt, Rapace, Chas, Nick Fury and my fellow Anciens. Have a break, come back ready to rock. Check your inbox for a PM.

Roger that mate!

 

[Joseph Cosgrove]

You are a brit yourself are you not? You sound more like a French warden! Never forget where you came from! I may live in the United States but a part of me will always be Brit! No matter. this is one of my last posts. Hope you get that moderater position on the forum.

Not quite sure what roused the bee in your bonnet Mark. Could it have been the Anglais de merde, that's how we were called by the others and used to laugh about it and still do.

 

[USMCRET]

And it does which is probably why you get some of the overlooked best soldiers in the world.

John Murray can you give us some indication why you didn't manage to complete your five year contract? I'm a bit of a stickler for that. I know that even if you are injured the legion will do whatever is necessary to keep it's part of the agreement. I was a garde punis for a year in the REP and have seen some pretty dramatic cases, but they have never led to being kicked out. There are exceptions as Ossie mentioned when the Brits blew up the flag pole, but I wasn't garde punis then.

I was a garde punis ? Joseph what does this mean