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JOINING Joining the second time, already passed selection

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I happened to join the french foreign legion last year, and made it through selection, was sent to castelnaudary and the farm. i was kicked out for broken leg during a march "the legion cannot afford to hospitalize" which i totally understand. I was told that i can come back in 1 year. Will this cause complications in aubagne? will they look down upon me because i have already been in there?. I only spoke to the captain and he told me i can return. the ones who left voluntarily or due to agressive behaviour had to speak to the colonel as well. i'm asking because upon joining there were quite few candidates who were turned away because it was their second time.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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Hi Looker, it's always a touchy subject, the getting thrown out because of an injury.
I prefer to keep my opinion to myself on that one.
Did you get any kind of paper saying that you could rejoin in one year?
 
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no i did not get anything. third week at the farm i was sent to castelnaudary for checkup, practically ordered by the sergent chef. then they ended up sending me to the company building and left me rot there for 10 days with some other guys who wanted to leave, at the last day before being shiped back to aubagne i talked to the captain and he said i can come back after 1 year. i know that the guys who left on their own will had to talk to the colonel in full parade uniform but apparently it wasnt necessary for medical inaptitude. in aubagne i was sent to the administrative company and there the captain of administrative company just told me to sign some papers and said that the legion will keep my records.
 

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Did you get any kind of paper saying that you could rejoin in one year?
no i did not get anything. "the legion cannot afford to hospitalize" You've put the second sentence in quotation marks. Who said this to you? Because I can tell you now it is not true, quite simply because the anything to do with medical care outside of the regiment has no affect on the legion's budget.
If I've got this correct, you broke your leg on the kepi marche? You were kicked out, told you that you could rejoin in a year's time?
Did they give you the xrays and a medical note for your local GP?
I already know the answer, don't bother.

The only advise that I can give you is to write a letter to the general and tell him the truth and ask for a second chance. Although it is not the general who deals with such matters, it is a question of politeness.
It will be hard for you as there are many who are your position; on the dole, with no immediate prospects of getting a job and suddenly deciding that the legion wasn't too bad after all.

Sorry if I seem a bit harsh, but let's be honest you came on here with a cock and bull story of breaking your leg, being thrown out of the legion without adequate treatment and told that you could try again in a year's time. The only part of the story that is true is that you were told that you could try again in a year's time.
 
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i could bet give my right hand that im telling the truth, and i didnt make it to the kepi marche, it was 3rd friday, kepi march wouldve been the 4th. i was sent to castelnaudary the next monday. though for sure there were caporals who wanted me to leave for reasons i cannot state here. in the manner who told me that legion cannot afford to hospitalize, those were the sergeant de semaine"s words.
 

Sarajevo1992

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though for sure there were caporals who wanted me to leave for reasons i cannot state here.

sounds like your leg gave them the excuse they wanted to kick you out since they thought you were not legion material (despite being able to do the farm). Must have to be something to do with you having a (wrong) attitude
 

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Seems odd to me too. We have a medical rehabilitation platoon for recruits that are injured during boot camp. In the MRP you are rehabilitated, if possible, but for serious injuries that require years or perhaps one will never regain use of the injured area or at a diminished capacity, then you will be discharged, permanently. I have know of recruits that have spent far more than a year in MRP and then when they were able too, they were returned to training where they left off or as close as possible to where they were with a new platoon.
 
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all the others who were for medical problems sent away from regiments or engage volontaires who had not yet passed kepi marche were also in aubagne. i met a nepali guy who had been there for many months for a head injury, and for legal reasons could not go to civil. i also met russian caporal who had served for 5 years from 2rep and he said he was on his first time in the legion sent away for a medical problem but came back. there was a brazilian guy from other company in castelnaudary who had been there for 4 weeks for medical problem and then sent away just when i arrived. i dont know if i could have stayed in aubagne for the time until i could return to service but i didnt ask, just did what i was told to do and signed some papers. there were plenty of people who had quit voluntarily during castelnaudary and some people who quit before they had served for 1 year. i met portugese guy who was already sent to regiments from castelnaudary but left voluntarily because of his family situations. all the people who left own their own will had to speak to french officers i think a liutenant and sign some extra papers that i didnt. only thing that i am not sure about is wether i couldve stayed in aubagne because i did not understand everything the captain said and to couple of questions i did not barely understand at all i just replied "oui mon capitaine"
there was also a guy probably from madagascar who completed castelnaudary and was going to rec but there was problem with the transfer to the regiment so he had to stay there for 2 months waiting for it.
 

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So how did you broke leg?
You saying that Legion kick you out with broken leg without any treatment?
If your leg is broken you can't walk ... So how did that scenario happen? They carry you to the gate and left you there to die? :)
Man, I know legion is harsh unit, but this is to much even for them.
 

Sarajevo1992

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So how did you broke leg?
You saying that Legion kick you out with broken leg without any treatment?
If your leg is broken you can't walk ... So how did that scenario happen? They carry you to the gate and left you there to die? :)
Man, I know legion is harsh unit, but this is to much even for them.
since his leg was broken they probably went to Puyloubier at the Institution des Invalides to get him a wheelchair, hahaha
 

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papers that i didnt. only thing that i am not sure about is wether i couldve stayed in aubagne because i did not understand everything the captain said and to couple of questions i did not barely understand at all i just replied "oui mon capitaine"
there was also a guy probably from madagascar who completed castelnaudary and was going to rec but there was problem with the transfer to the regiment so he had to stay there for 2 months waiting for it.
You might have said yes to a question that should have been NO.
Why did you not just say: Je ne comprends pas la question mon capitaine
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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You might have said yes to a question that should have been NO.
Why did you not just say: Je ne comprends pas la question mon capitaine
I would have thought that the captain would have realized that before having finished his instruction, he wouldn't have understood much of the French language. The fact that he is standing there with a plaster cast on his leg, the report from his chef de section in front of him on how it happened should have been enough.

I think that Looker actually came on here with the question : How would it look if I went back with my tail between my legs and told them that I made a mistake when I insisted on going civvy before the raid march.

I must insist on the insist part, because it does not look good on any chef de section when people ask to go civilian. The fact that he was told by another captain (or the same one -who cares) that he could come back in a yeas time...
I find that a little hard to believe, was it due to the fact that he would need to convalesce for at least 6 months and then another 6 months to get his fitness up to scratch?

I mean the guy did break his leg - did he ever mention how? - while in basic training. As USMCRET pointed out they would have back squadded him, probably sent him to Malmousque, in Marseille and then once he'd gotten the alright from the Doc. he would rejoin a section.

In today's modern legion, which is leaning more than ever toward the French regular army, the legion cannot afford to cover up things like they did in the past. The Sun or some other rag tabloid would have a field day by simply posting the headlines "Hero French foreign legionnaire thrown out on crutches after breaking his leg during secret training exercise".

My advise, Looker, is to stay at home, continue with your story about broken bones to those who want to listen and believe. But you must face facts, you took someone else's place and like so many others will regret it for the rest of your life.

The 14th of July will be coming up soon, you will be asked about about your time in the legion, that will be a hard time for you, because you will remember only the good times (except of course when you broke your leg :ROFLMAO: ;) :whistle:), your old comrades, regardless of what you tell them your reasons for leaving, you will know the truth.
 
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In today's modern legion, which is leaning more than ever toward the French regular army, the legion cannot afford to cover up things like they did in the past. The Sun or some other rag tabloid would have a field day by simply posting the headlines "Hero French foreign legionnaire thrown out on crutches after breaking his leg during secret training exercise".
do you really think the FFL is like it was in years gone by? Is it wrong to treat men like they do in the French Army maybe more humain? Just my thoughts.
Does brutality make the soldier or intelligent training? I am sure the Legion is changing for a reason.
 
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