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Should the Legion celebrate its creation ?

Do you think that the legion should celebrate it's creation?


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Crawdad

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Yes, I think they ought to. Nothing major, since Camerone Day is right around the corner... but if I were the COMLE for a day:

Units in garrison (ie those not deployed or in the field) would have first rassemblement at Regimental HQ at 06h30, tenue de sport. Regimental Commanders give a short speech about the history of the Légion -- no more than about 5-10 minutes. The speech to be followed by a regimental run, ~6-8 klicks at a pace slow enough that the guys can call cadence. Besides, a run with that many dudes is going to have the 'slinky' or human accordion effect on the formation; you can't really run like the wind.

After the run, release the troops until 1900, at which time you have a regimental formal dining out, tenue de sortie. Have CSS or whoever lease out some local establishment that can both cater and host a formal dinner for a regiments worth of dudes. I'm talkin' 7 courses, foie gras, Champagne kinda stuff; remind the guys who and what they're fighting for. For fecks sake, this is France we're talking about-- keep it gangster, pop bottles, and ball till you fall. Hell, you could even get the ladies involved; encourage the guys to bring dates, take the missus out for dinner and dancing. B*tches love dinner and dancing.

Give all non-essential personnel the next day off, for good measure.

Speaking of Tenue de sortie... Don't get me wrong, it's a great service dress uniform; the color (terre de France) is cool because it pays homage to both the ww2 guys and is fairly close to the old 'gris-blanc' my forebears wore during the Ancien Régime. I totally dig it. But...

As a parade or full dress uniform, it's mediocre. So if I'm Emmanuel Macron for a day:

1) Tell Brigitte's leathery self to pack her trash, (or maybe not, he probably really loves her, and I'm not trying to wreck the dude's life, especially since the people are going to have a fit after:

2) New dress uniforms for the Army. Absolutely no excuse for the Rosbifs and Yanks to have sharper dress uniforms than us. You're French, act like it. I don't care if those duded at St-Cyr get mad because they're no longer the prettiest princess.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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I'm talkin' 7 courses, foie gras, champagne kinda stuff
New dress uniforms for the Army
Cost ! Personally I'd give everyone the day off. Today it falls on a weekend, next year it falls on a Tuesday ;).
As for Camerone, the preparations -stands, drill rehearsals, corvees etc. Can be a bit of a corvee while on active. Going back as an ancien with everything set up and meeting with your old mates, well that's a different story.
 

Rapace

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There's actually a debate among history buffs as to when the decree was signed by King Louis-Philippe Ier and promulgated. Some say it's actually March 9th 1831 and not March 10. The reason why this date is not celebrated maybe because, the “original” Legion was “handed over” to Spain during the so-called “Carlist war”, where France was supporting the late King's Ferdinand VII daughter, Isabelle, who had been designated by him as his successor against those supporting the King's brother. A “second Legion” was recreated in 1839 and dispatched to Algeria as a reinforcement for the troops engaged in the colonisation war.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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(...) Some say it's actually March 9th 1831 and not March 10. (...)
It's the same thing today. When a law is drawn up it goes into power when the ‘authority’ signs it. On your CME (corporal's course) you will be asked to give the date of the creation of the Legion. 10 March 1831 (y)
However the question is, should the legionnaires be allowed out on town for a p*ss up? :whistle:
 

mark wake

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(...) Absolutely no excuse for the Rosbifs and Yanks to have sharper dress uniforms than us. You're French; act like it. I don't care if those duded at St-Cyr get mad because they're no longer the prettiest princess.
Les Rosbifs / Yanks / Anglos won’t give a sh*t! Any excuse to have a good piss up will be fine with them! The French? Oh dear! Still can’t get their dates together!

Should be like when you graduated from the “promo”. We weren’t allowed to go down town. But were proud to wear our brevet. Had a couple of hours to get pissed then stand rigidly at attention for appel!
 
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Of course the Foreign Legion should celebrate their creation. It increase their Esprit de Corps and gains greater respect worldwide.(y)

We do as the original Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot. All part of the Royal Marines history and renown. We were presented with the Great Globe as our central badge. It was given to us in days of yore, since we had too many battle honours to put on flags as was the then custom.

28th October, 1664.:D
 
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Sexpert,

Chas is a gentle soul albeit he served in the days of Noah's Ark. Also he nearly landed up in the Gordon Highlanders having his medical in Bath Street Glasgow.

The look of horror on the recruiting Sgts' face when callow young Chas said; Sorry Sgt I am an RM Reservist.

Response from said Sgt ; They must have been scraping the barrel to take the likes of you.

I greatly admire the Jocks and their regiments prior to wretched decimation was superb.
 
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Sexpert,

Chas is a gentle soul albeit he served in the days of Noah's Ark. Also he nearly landed up in the Gordon Highlanders having his medical in Bath Street Glasgow.

The look of horror on the recruiting Sgts' face when callow young Chas said; Sorry Sgt I am an RM Reservist.

Response from said Sgt ; They must have been scraping the barrel to take the likes of you.

I greatly admire the Jocks and their regiments prior to wretched decimation was superb.
Papillon will know better than me but i think the Argyll & bolton wanderers 😄 were working closly with The Marines. There is a good documentary about the argylls in Plymouth...
 
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Papillon will know better than me but i think the Argyll & bolton wanderers 😄 were working closly with The Marines. There is a good documentary about the argylls in Plymouth...

The RM had 2 'Chummy Regiments'. The first was the Queen's now the PWRR. In days of yore the Marines helped survivors of ship wrecked Queen's and took them and their families back to Chatham where they housed them. In perpetuity the Queens wore the Warrant Officers blue lanyard as do now the PWRR.

The Argylls combined with the survivors of HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales to fight as a composite unit in Malaya and across the causeway into Singapore. They went into captivity as a composite unit under the command of the Argyll commanding officer. When he died an RM captain took over. In memory thereof the Argyll Bowl annual football match was instituted.

One PWRR and one Argyll officer is seconded to the RM every year and vice versa. All have to be commando qualified.

After the RM and HKP, I became a TA officer with the Queen's 6/7 (V),
 
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The RM had 2 'Chummy Regiments'. The first was the Queen's now the PWRR. In days of yore the Marines helped survivors of ship wrecked Queen's and took them and their families back to Chatham where they housed them. In perpetuity the Queens wore the Warrant Officers blue lanyard as do now the PWRR.

The Argylls combined with the survivors of HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales to fight as a composite unit in Malaya and across the causeway into Singapore. They went into captivity as a composite unit under the command of the Argyll commanding officer. When he died an RM captain took over. In memory thereof the Argyll Bowl annual football match was instituted.

One PWRR and one Argyll officer is seconded to the RM every year and vice versa. All have to be commando qualified.

After the RM and HKP, I became a TA officer with the Queen's 6/7 (V),
9 parts..

 
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Notice the 3:50 Mark... 😆 What was that beret & cap badge of the guy on the ground playing dead? looks like a french para beret?
 
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