Hello everyone

[AnthonyBank]

My name is Anthony and I am from Erie Pennsylvania. I currently live in Southwest corner of the state. I wanted to join the Legion at 18 but was talked into doing all the conventional things in life by the people around me. Well, in the last 16 months my brother overdosed on drugs, my cousin died in a car crash, and my girlfriend left me. Then last week I was laid off from my place of employment. So I well and truly have nothing here.

I have learned a bit of French over the years and I have been to Paris and spoke very basic French passably. I am a typical slightly overweight 31 year old (will be 32 in a month) American but I started following Stoeng's excellent training regime three weeks ago and I can hardly believe the progress I have made.

I figure it will take me another 2-3 months to get into shape (I couldn't do a single pull up and now I can do 8 or 9 in a set). The hardest part for me is getting back into running-I was too heavy at first but I've trimmed off 12 pounds since February so I am getting that squared away.

This isn't a whimsical decision I have thought about the Legion everyday for the last 14 years and I simply don't want to live with regrets. I would like a new start, a military career, and out of the States.

I really have no connections left here, I hope that will be considered a positive by the Legion. I have listed my house for sale, sold most of my large things already, and I am renting a room in my buddies basement. I will run, practice my French and save and will hopefully be in Aubagne in the autumn.

I hope I have a chance as I'd like to make the Legion a career. I talked to both the Marines and the Army here and they really weren't interested. So the Legion is really all I have.

Best regards,
Anthony.

P.S.: Thank you for having me in your community. I hope anyone with any advice or suggestions will be willing to share.

 

[Le petit caporal]

Welcome Anthony

 

[AnthonyBank]

In thinking on it, my greatest fear is that I will be too old for the legion in that they think I cannot make a career out of it. Should I mention that I play the Trumpet? Every military needs musicians, I think, and I would like to do everything in my power to maximize my chance.

I am going to give this a shot regardless but god do I wish I had went five or six years ago.

 

[GuidoLovarini]

Good luck mate. And yes definetly mention you play trumpet if youd consider a career in the band?

 

[Joseph Cosgrove]

Good luck and a big welcome to the forum. A word of warning Anthony of your real name is Anthony Bank, be careful what you offer up on open social media.

You must train as hard as possible because age is not on your side. I'd suggest that you started running as soon as possible. Go in for any civilian road races that are taking place, it's great motivation. Then in the last couple of months work on your Luc Leger. Again good luck.

 

[Rapace]

Hello and Welcome. In case you haven't yet had time to go through all the old posts, be aware that the first thing you'll be required upon presenting yourself at Aubagne will be to do 7 pull-ups the ‘proper way’ (meaning arms fully extended between two pull-ups and chin over the bar). If you fail this, you won't even be let inside the. So, make sure you can do this. It would be stupid to travel all the way from the US and be rejected after 5 mn...

 

[USMCRET]

Good Luck. A way to get better at pull ups is to do one, get down and do five push ups, do two, get down and do 10 push ups, three and do 15, ..... Go up to five pull ups and then go back down 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 with the push ups 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5

 

[AnthonyBank]

Thank you all for your kind words and solid advice. I ran three miles today the most in 6 or 7 years. I will run everyday and at the beginning of May I will do interval training every Tuesday and Thursday, runs monday, weds, friday off and long run saturday.

I did a practice lex luther beep test which I downloaded and I started at level 3. I am at level 5 now. I test myself every monday but I will start going monday, Weds and friday with that soon. I almost reached level six last monday. I will reach level six this monday I promised myself.

For pull ups I have just been following the Stoeng's plan. I start in the down position, make my pull up, go all the way down, count one mississippi, then return. I do 25-30 a day. USMCRET I appreciate the suggestion and I tried your routine this morning and it killed me. I love it! Thank you kindly.

I know I am getting up there in age but I sincerely desire a military career and French citizenship.

Is it bad to have your real name out there? I stand by everything I posted and I do not care of someone from the Legion views this page. I am no liar and I always act with honor (which is why I am unemployed but that is private). I will tell the truth and hope they see potential in me for their organization.


Again, I appreciate all the kind words and will heed all advice given. I will say I am/was content to walk alone but I feel much more at ease now having talked to those who have walked this path before.

Merci beaucoup tout le monde.

 

[Rapace]

(...) Is it bad to have your real name out there? I stand by everything I posted and I do not care of someone from the Legion views this page. I am no liar and I always act with honor (which is why I am unemployed but that is private). I will tell the truth and hope they see potential in me for their organization. (...)

Not at all. Just keep in mind that it's an open forum (even non-members can read the posts), so think twice about what you write. Just in case some guys in Aubagne have a look at it... If this happens, what you say during the interviews should match what you wrote here. But, hey, that's pretty basic advice, right?

 

[AnthonyBank]

Not at all. Just keep in mind that it's an open forum (even non-members can read the posts), so think twice about what you write. Just in case some guys in Aubagne have a look at it... If this happens, what you say during the interviews should match what you wrote here. But, hey, that's pretty basic advice, right?

Thank you I understand. I spent a lot of time looking at the physical aspect of training and just now began looking into the mental/aptitude/character and fitness aspect. Everything will certainly match as I have nothing to hide. But some things are better left to private conversations.

 

[Le petit caporal]

A low profile will get you further than any honesty and honneur bullshit, which is an incalculable accessoire, depending on who is judging!

 

[AnthonyBank]

A low profile will get you further than any honesty and honneur bullshit, which is an incalculable accessoire, depending on who is judging!

Thank you, understood. I shall have no problem keeping my mouth shut and my eyes open.

 

[AnthonyBank]

Can I ask one of your gentleman, in a private message, about a matter which is of some interest to me regarding the legion?

Thank you in advance

 

[Papillon]

Ok how much of a difference is their now to joining apart from computers and some better kit but taking it back to the knock on the door or through the gate is their a vast difference? Why do I ask well I some times wonder how I got in, I don’t think that guys arrived super fit but mentality was different. Tell you what go into Boots or Superdrug take a look at female grooming and male grooming products, not much difference in my eyes a comb and toothbrush and some brut or old spice keeping in shape when sober and confident was my way in I’d lied in the dock the Legion was not going to be different.
Some of you scare me with your ideas and thoughts just glad I’m a 50s child, with all the protein and grooming stuff you will need to be fit as you also have military kit to carry good luck!

 

[dusaboss]

That thing with supplements in bodybuilding and fitness worries me to. It's really getting out of control. Nobody cares about training hard anymore most guys think that taking enough shit and you gonna be like a Phil Heath (mr. Olympia). I'm talking of fitness, but is applicable the other spheres of life.

We can thanks that to instant culture we living in. My generation want everything "right now" without sweating ass. Thats way you can't get satisfaction. You start to value things only if you put significant effort in achieving that goal.

With internet porn become extremely easy available. (that is not problem only for my generation ) sexual replacement is only two clicks away. And you can choose whatever F turns you on.

Consumer society is partly responsible for that state of mind of young men. Also cartoons we watched as kids have big role into that. Leftist attacking and banning cartoons for all kind of stupid reasons, violence, nonexistent racism etc. But they missing something which is much more dangerous and extremely damaging for children's psych. I'm probably not first one to notice that but I did on my own so I would call it "Popeye the Sailor effect" Because that was definitely first cartoon with that "thing" in it. So, we have Popeye small skinny guy who after "taking something" beats up Bluto- big muscular guy.
Original intention is to make children to eat greens, but actually they did something much worse. (and kids still don't like greens ).

One cartoon is not problem, but when I was a kid we had explosion of cartoons with "that" in it.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"- mutagen made them animal-human hybrids with super powers
"He-Man" sword gives him super power. Not to mention all that superheroes who made into cartoons from comic books. All of them have some powers which they got pretty much instantly.
Also there was bunch of cartoons with powerful humanoid robots.

All that cartoons have "Popeye effect" which could negatively influencing child's mind. Children growing up and watching that could easily at teen age start to look for "something" what would help them to become "more powerful". That would be all kind of steroids, supplements and even drugs and alcohol because they too may give you false feeling that you are powerful.

Sorry for long post. I'm just thinking loud and sharing that here.

 

[USMCRET]

That thing with supplements in bodybuilding and fitness worries me to. It's really getting out of control. Nobody cares about training hard anymore most guys think that taking enough shit and you gonna be like a Phil Heath (mr. Olympia). I'm talking of fitness, but is applicable the other spheres of life.

We can thanks that to instant culture we living in. My generation want everything "right now" without sweating ass. Thats way you can't get satisfaction. You start to value things only if you put significant effort in achieving that goal.

With internet porn become extremely easy available. (that is not problem only for my generation ) sexual replacement is only two clicks away. And you can choose whatever F turns you on.

Consumer society is partly responsible for that state of mind of young men. Also cartoons we watched as kids have big role into that. Leftist attacking and banning cartoons for all kind of stupid reasons, violence, nonexistent racism etc. But they missing something which is much more dangerous and extremely damaging for children's psych. I'm probably not first one to notice that but I did on my own so I would call it "Popeye the Sailor effect" Because that was definitely first cartoon with that "thing" in it. So, we have Popeye small skinny guy who after "taking something" beats up Bluto- big muscular guy.
Original intention is to make children to eat greens, but actually they did something much worse. (and kids still don't like greens ).

One cartoon is not problem, but when I was a kid we had explosion of cartoons with "that" in it.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"- mutagen made them animal-human hybrids with super powers
"He-Man" sword gives him super power. Not to mention all that superheroes who made into cartoons from comic books. All of them have some powers which they got pretty much instantly.
Also there was bunch of cartoons with powerful humanoid robots.

All that cartoons have "Popeye effect" which could negatively influencing child's mind. Children growing up and watching that could easily at teen age start to look for "something" what would help them to become "more powerful". That would be all kind of steroids, supplements and even drugs and alcohol because they too may give you false feeling that you are powerful.

Sorry for long post. I'm just thinking loud and sharing that here.

Are you High Today Dusaboss

 

[Le petit caporal]

Last i heard he was climbing Olympia

 

[AnthonyBank]

I don't really know what some of the above responses were in reference to. I know all I need to attempt selection in the fall. I talked to someone in the forum which said my question was not a big deal and gave me all the aid I required. My great uncle went awol from the us army in 1945 after three months of garrison duty-joined the legion and died in vietnam. Since he was a deserter he has no real military honors. I was put in touch by a gentleman here with the legion records department and I am requesting records for my great aunt as a surprise.

It wasn't really legion related but the issue was solved. Thank you. I will let you fellows know if I make it.

 

[dusaboss]

Are you High Today Dusaboss

No more than every other day. I just get into subject maybe too deeply. But no, I was no high.

 

[AnthonyBank]

Good luck and a big welcome to the forum. A word of warning Anthony of your real name is Anthony Bank, be careful what you offer up on open social media.

You must train as hard as possible because age is not on your side. I'd suggest that you started running as soon as possible. Go in for any civilian road races that are taking place, it's great motivation. Then in the last couple of months work on your Luc Leger. Again good luck.

I would like to thank Joseph Cosgrove for his kind suggestion. I have my first 5k race May 5 and I have a 10K race June 9. I am running with a group and my lower back pain is finally gone. My belly is wearing off and getting flat and my lifting is going well. I did 4 miles today and look to get up to 6 miles with the group on Saturday. I start speed sprinting on tues/thursdays the week after my 5k. I hope to be sub 21 minutes but we will see. At least sub 25 and I will be happy. It took be over an hour and a half of walking/jogging the first week of March to cover 5k so I will be happy either way.

I run everyday now. I will achieve my dream.

Thank you Joseph.