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Holidays!

californiajai

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I'm not sure if this has been a subject already but i figured the Wannabes needed to know. It is very important that some of these blokes understand the Legion and the familly.

Wannabes... In the Legion you will never spend a single holiday with your blood familly. Every holiday is spent in the Camp/Quartier with the other legionnaires. Christmas, New Year, etc. It has been that way for a very long time. Even officers spend the holidays with the legionnaires. It is that the new breed understand that you are all a familly, brothers if you will. It may be hard for some to accept this... i've seen many a new legionnaires break over this. Even seen a three year Ancien who had a very serious ladie, he even left because of this. So you all understand, you will spend the holidays with your brothers, your Legion brothers---Not your blood familly (even if your married, it doesn't matter).

Having said that, i am sure there has been an acception or two, but the overall regulation is as i have stated above.

Mle 187-828
 

BobW

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Bonjour CaliforniaJai,

Besides the holidays policy, can you say a few words on how personal letter writing is handled? For example, after training, is there any counterpart to "mail call" ? What is the policy and actual practice of writing letters by Legionaires.

SIDEBAR; Believe you had mentioned a FFL bathing suit, CalJ. Is this "official", ie an issued bathing suit for water operations or unofficial? If it exists, what does it look like, eg are there pockets, etc?

Thanks in advance.

Warm regards,
BobW
 

californiajai

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BobW said:
Bonjour CaliforniaJai,

Besides the holidays policy, can you say a few words on how personal letter writing is handled? For example, after training, is there any counterpart to "mail call" ? What is the policy and actual practice of writing letters by Legionaires.

SIDEBAR; Believe you had mentioned a FFL bathing suit, CalJ. Is this "official", ie an issued bathing suit for water operations or unofficial? If it exists, what does it look like, eg are there pockets, etc?

Thanks in advance.

Warm regards,
BobW
BOBW,

Sure Bob...the way it's done in Castel is much like most other places. There is a "Mail Call" depending on your Chef de Section (CDS) and Cpl's this may differ as when and how its done. Normally its in done in a class room (salle de cours) and often you are required to open the mail in front of the Cpl, CDS. Large packages are not recommended to be received, you will be asked to open the package in front of the CDS, or even the Captain(CNE). Now, in the Regiments it is done a little different. Mail can be found generally in the CQ office ( i forget what this is called in the Legion, sorry, brain fart). Mail is not the issue it once was...the Legion understands that mail can be an effective tool to generate a good morale among the troops. As for writing letters, no problems there, they even allow you to write and receive letters in "Instruction" after the "farm". In regiments it is simply if you want to write do so. Every Regiment has a "Vaguemestre", basically it's "La Poste"-post office in the Legion.
Now in regards to your Sidebar question...the 2REP is the only regiment (to my knowledge) that has an "official" beach uniform. When i was there it was a white polo shirt with the REP patch on the chest white shorts (the kind umpires wear in the states) with pockets and your Legion socks with white Tennis shoes. Things could have changed though. I can find out pretty quickly if you want. But yes if you left the Camp for the Beach then you had to wear this uniform. It was quite nice really. Have a good holiday mate!

Mle 187-828
 

BobW

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Thanks CaliforniaJai re explaining the mail/postal policy in the Legion.

I'm focused now re the beach uniform; no need to check and update.

Hope you and all here are concluding a happy and safe holiday.

Warm regards,

BobW
 

Forgotten

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What about vacations? So what about holidays, they are a lonely time of year for most of us anyway...
 

Beau-Sheep

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Laugh, people think I am full of shit when I tell them about the beach uniform. And... the only time you are allowed to remove the shirt is on the way to or from the water. Even the PMs patrol the beach in whites with a fucking huge night stick, looking for legionnaires disobeying the dress code. Funny to watch those monkies patrolling the beach eh Calif? I thought I was in the wrong cartoon.
 

californiajai

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Yeah Beau i remember those times well. I get a few chuckles from folks too- when i tell them we had a white beach uniform. Damn those PM's!! No, just kidding, i never had a problem with a PM-execpt when i got out of the Legion. I had been out for about three weeks and before i went home i wanted to say goodbye to some friends and hit a couple clubs in Calvi that are interdit! Well needless to say when i walked out of one of these clubs, a PM grabbed me and started tp harass me-asking me for my Carte D'Identité and shit...i tried to tell the PM i was out of the Legion and what not but he just put me in the back of the P4 and took me to Camp. I spent a full night in jail (my last) and in the morning i was released and even got an apology from the PM-(he bought me some beer in the club CCH). It was great to walk down memory lane...LOL!! But i'll never go to Calvi again unless i'm in uniform!!

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californiajai

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Forgotten said:
What about vacations? So what about holidays, they are a lonely time of year for most of us anyway...

Vacation in the Legion is tricky. You are given 45 days a year, but some regiments (2REP, 3REI, 13DBLE, 4RE) that i know of will never give you those days all at once, its more like you will get a week here or there, at most you will get 14 days. Now this is that way for a long time. By the time you reach 4 years of service you may be able to get a 30 day vacation as long as the Cie has nothing planned(training wise). Now after your first five ive heard you can get your full 45 days, but even then the Cie cant be busy. You cannot leave the country of France during the first five years(its the rules, that almost no-one follows). You cannot wear civilian clothes while on vacation untill your a CPL. or you've got your five years(its the rules, that almost no-one follows). Vacation in the Legion (at least for me) is a grand time! I travelled all over the world. I would ask another Legion i knew who had PLD(Permission Long Durre)-vacation. at the same time as me and see if i could tag along with them to their home country. I even brought 4 Legionnaires with me when i came home to the US on PLD. Of course this involves you getting your passport. For some countries this is almost impossible, but not for a US citizen. There you go Forgotten!!

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