Thanks Patrick and Eagle for understanding that I was not apologizing for deserters.
Even my friend who excelled in sport and military training and who was singled out for relentless beatings says he regrets leaving, he said he prepared for everything but not that. It took it right out of him, he is a small guy but a tough athlete, the caporal in question was a huge guy about a foot taller and 100lbs heavier (my friend admits he cracked mentally under the beatings). He just 'lost it' and left. So I understand why he left and can even see that it would make sense but I was very disappointed that he left as he was a good friend and I was sure he would make it unlike a couple friends who went before him, and felt he should have stuck it out. He was also disapointed in himself but couldn't understand why the cadre let this kind of abuse happen. A good example for guys going that you have to be prepared for anything and everything and make a firm commitment to stick it out, despite, boredom, or stupidity or pain or whatever, see it as a personal test, or like Eagle Eye, realize how much easier you have it than the guys who fought and died in the past, if you can't even handle "this" how can you expect to deal with real combat should you be faced with it.
You both make excellent points that one must honor the contract.
Eagle Eye, your mantra is a damn good one. That kind of thinking works in life in so many circumstances, any job or career can be misery depending on our outlook. But just an attitude adjustment and realizing how fucking lucky we are and how much easier than those who came before can make a world of difference. I agree with you on the issues of rememberance. Both for the Legion and for all those who served and fought and died fighting in wars past. Many of us live in peace because of them and their sacrifices.
Perhaps most of us have grown soft because of our western lifestyles or outlooks and modern conveniences and are unable to accept a reduction of the freedoms and pleasures of our modern lives.
I did have one good friend tell me that guys who leave before they even get to Regiment haven't even seen the REAL Legion yet. He said the guys who left by choice in Aubagne or in Castel, whether officially or desertion made choices based on a skewed view of the Legion. He told me point blank that they quit before they started, if they thought that was the "Legion" they were wrong and so many guys go off to tell stories about how lame or unorganized or messed up the Legion is were talking from only experiencing Castel, never a real combat regiment. Even if they got the Kepi, he said they were the guys who "been there, didn't do that", they never gave it a real chance and talked themselves out of it, "excused" themselves out with any number of "reasons" why they should leave.
But he also made a point that life is VERY hard the first year or two but it is your time to earn your place there, you get the brunt of the crap, since it rolls downhill, but things get better and you will gain the respect of your superiors by hard work and not complaining. It does get better and there are rewards, more training, schools, overseas postings, less BS and chances for promotion etc. They guys who bitch about the Legion and slander it were the non hackers, the last in sport, constantly drunk or unable to adapt or conform.
He and other Anciens said guys who go and quit went with a weak motivation and were perhaps subconciously looking for the first good reason to leave. I think the Legion understands this to some extent and Aubagne/Castel can serve to weed those with a tendency to make excuses or give up easy/look for the easy way, rationalize why they left (ie, it is too unorganized, training sucks, or "they told me I would only wait tables in the officers mess" or "I felt bad being there when there were so many guys from 3rd world nations who were there cause life was so bad at home and I had it so good, so I left" etc)
In his mind most legionnaires tried to avoid Castel after they left basic and said that what went on at Castel was a process you had to go through, a weeding out process, a mind **** to break you down, and get you to conform to the Legion and to another culture and language and forces dozens of races and nationalities and cultures and language groups and religions to cooperate as a single unit. By its nature the process of taking hundreds of guys who don't share language or identity or culture or ANYTHING into a lean mean unit is a crazy process at times. Forming a group Identity and finding those who will follow orders and truely want to be there and who will stick it out in times of hardship is a high priority. If this meant forming a group mentality by terrorizing them, then so be it as long as it was done with purpose and controlled.
Several Anciens echoed to me this idea:
That Too many guys go hoping the Legion will conform to THEIR expectations and to get action and adventure for personal glory. The Legion won't conform to the individual, they conform to the Legion or leave. You are there to serve the Legion, not the other way around.
Ideas of a romantic past are just fancy. They Legion has always been hard, has always, like any Army had vast stretches of routine, boredom, and petty rules followed by periods of pure terror, adrenaline and action. Accounts from the very inception of the Legion to now talk of brutality, or boredom or madness, drunkeness, fights, poor tactics, poor leadership, 'mafia's' etc, yet the Legion has continued to exist, to produce great soldiers, great leaders, to fight, to win, and if not win, to fight with valor, and distinction, and the Legion continues to endure. It conforms to no one's expectations or dreams or desires.
nite guys,
Tired.
-Nick