I know most of the members here agree that 18 is a very young age to join, and that most should wait for at least 22. Well I feel really determined to join at 18 and have been preparing myself mentally and physically, but I'm still skeptical that my age might be a problem and I get kicked out in selection. Just wondering if the old members here have any good tips for a young wannabe. Thanks!
Hi Cris, if it is of any help to you, I jumped ship in Dakar, Senegal, when the country was still a French colony, and joined the Legion at the age of 16. By the time I was 18 I was a decorated paratrooper in 2 REP in the Algerian war. Don't worry, 18 is fine.
I joined the legion because it made sense as well. Adventure, for sure, the desert, unexpected things happening, glorious death, even. A bit of romance, perhaps? Ok, none of that much happened. But, on the other hand, I learned that when you are close to death from exhaustion while hiking through inhospitable Algerian mountains, and not a drop of water left in your canteen, you will ask yourself, quite seriously “what the f*ck am I doing here?Ââ€
Mais, c'est la vie, mon pote.
Anyway, the real French Foreign Legion ceased to exist in July 1962, when Algeria got independence from France. Anything after that, except from that glorious drop by 2 REP in Kolwezi, Zaire, in May 1978, to me just looks like they are trying to be legionnaires, while not quite succeeding, B-actors at the best.