Answers to joining French Foreign Legion.

• Manager433

  11 May 05, 22:09

  What Is The French Foreign Legion?
  
  The French Foreign Legion is a military formation of approximately 8500 men serving as a branch of the regular Armed Forces of France. It differs from other military units by accepting foreigners from any country in the world into its ranks.
  
  
• Manager433

  11 May 05, 22:10

  Before You Go
  
  There are several things to consider before making the leap from simply thinking of joining the Legion, to actually travelling to France and enlisting at a recruiting centre:
  
  Appraise your physical condition. Activities in the Legion tax your physical endurance and abilities to the maximum. The most important physical requirement is running. You are advised to be able to run at least 10 kilometres with ease. Medical problems of any nature will almost surely disqualify you. Even seemingly minor issues such as poor eyesight can prevent you from being accepted. Recommended minimum physical prerequisites are:
  - 30 pushups.
  - 50 situps.
  - Climb a 20 foot rope without using your feet.
  - Run 8 kilometres with a 12 kilogram rucksack in less than one hour.
  - 8 chinups with your palms away from you as you grip the bar.
  
  The age range for joining is 18 to 40.
  You can't join if you're married.
  Women aren't allowed to join. UPDATE: On October 12, 2000 the Legion was ordered to accept women into its ranks. Follow this link to CNN for more on this news item. FURTHER UPDATE: According to a statement by Legion spokesman Lt. Col. Yann Peron, the announcement that women would be allowed to join was due to a "miscommunication." Changes that will allow women to serve in almost every function in the French Army would not apply to the Legion, although female officers may be able to transfer from military schools. An article concerning this development appeared in the November 5, 2000 edition of the New York Times.
  You don't need to be able to speak French when you enlist but it is a good idea to learn as much as you can beforehand. It will be necessary to speak it in order to do your job.
  You will need a valid passport and possibly a visa to enter France. You must enter France at your own expense. You are not reimbursed if they don't accept you.
  Think about preparing a last will and testament.
  You can't have a bank account in France. The Legion maintains an account for you and you can arrange to transfer money anywhere in the world.
  A criminal history may be overlooked if the offenses are minor but there are no guarantees.
• Manager433

  11 May 05, 22:12

  What To Take
  
  Don't take anything you don't want to lose. Everything you bring will be stored in a duffel bag when you reach Aubagne. You will never see your belongings again if you're accepted. You are permitted to keep:
  
  A French-English dictionary.
  Shaving gear, toilet articles, a towel.
  Cigarettes.
  Your watch.
  Your wallet and approximately 200 francs.
  An address book or personal contact list.
  
  Where To Join
  
  There are 16 recruiting centres throughout France where you can enlist:
  
  94120 Fontenay-sous-Bois (Paris), Fort de Nogent, Tel. 01 48 77 49 68
  21000 Dijon, Caserne Junot, 66 avenue du drapeau, Tel. 03 80 73 54 86
  59000 Lille, La Citadelle, Tel. 03 28 36 08 72
  67000 Strasbourg, Quartier Lecourbe, rue d'Ostende, Tel. 03 88 61 53 33
  44000 Nantes, Quartier Degrees-du-Lou, rue Gambetta, Tel. 02 40 74 39 32
  51000 Reims, Quartier Colbert, 32 bis, avenue de la Paix, Tel. 03 26 88 42 50
  76038 Rouen cedex, rue du Colonel Trupel, Tel. 02 35 70 68 78
  13007 Marseille, La Malmousque, Chemin du Genie, Tel. 04 91 31 85 10
  86000 Poitiers, Quartier Aboville, Tel. 05 49 41 31 16
  57000 Metz, Quartier de-Lattre-de-Tassigny, Tel. 03 87 66 57 12
  64100 Bayonne, 18 Quai de Lesseps, Tel. 05 59 50 14 84
  69007 Lyon, Quartier Générale Frère, Tel. 04 78 58 40 21
  06300 Nice, Caserne Filley, rue Sincaire, Tel. 04 93 80 59 06
  66020 Perpignan, Caserne Mangin, 8 rue François-Rabelais, Tel. 04 68 35 05 38
  31000 Toulouse, Caserne Perignon, avenue Camille-Pujol, Tel. 05 61 54 21 95
  33000 Bordeaux, 260 rue Pelleport, Tel. 05 56 92 99 64
  13400 Aubagne, Quartier Vienot, Tel. 04 42 18 82 57
  Although Aubagne is listed here it does not conduct the initial processing of recruits. The nearest centre where you can enlist is the Malmousque in Marseille.
  
  You can join the Legion at any time. Its recruiting offices are open 365 days a year.
  
  
• tvdog

  11 May 05, 23:34

  They no longer take foreigners but FYI....
  
  The Spanish Legion
  
  Formed in 1920
  
  Also known as: Tercio de Extranjeros
  
  Headquarters: Almeria. The Legion also has Regiments in Melilla (or Mlilla, looking for accurate spelling), Ceuta, Fuertoventura,and Ronda.
  
  The Spanish Legion (formally Spanish Foreign Legion) is part of Spain's Rapid Recation Force. The Legion formally took in foreigners who could pass selection. The Legion,however, has always been mostly Spaniards. Only about 20% of the early recruits and personnel were from other countries. This however has changed sligthly. Rumors have risen that the Legion still takes some foreigner but the main cadre are Spaniards. At one time signing up for the Legion was simple (like their French cousin). The Legion hopefull could ask any police officer or go to an Embassy, where he would then be turned over to the Legion. The recruit would be shown a film and talked to. He could then decide if this was really what he wanted. Training would thne begin for the recruit. He would then go to Ronda for a selection process. Training was brutal and some recruits were said to have died.
  
  The Legion today is not for the weak. Training is still brutal with punishment usually being a severe beating from NCOs who run training. Training still takes place in Ronda. It is suprisingly short, usually 3-4 months long. Recruits are signed on for a 3 year contract which is as hard to get out of as the French Foreign Legion's.Rectuits now are all volunteers from Spain (maybe). Basic military skills are taught, and forced marches are the norm. Like FFL, hard marches are supposed to make or brake a soldier. The Assault course is one of the most difficult in the world. Rumor has it live ammunition is used to shoot at recruts feet and over their heads while they are trying to complete the course. Recruits which undergo E&E training, usually BOEL soldiers, should expect punishment. E&E is brutal. The men are subjected to brutal beatings and other means of "torture". While no recruit has been killed during this phase, it must be said that it is probably very close to the real thing.
  
  The Spanish Legion consists of some 7,000-8,000 men (yes only men) roughly. The Legion consits of 4 Regiments (called Tercios). Each Regiment has 4 Battalions (or Banderas).
  
  While their are more Regiments in the Legion, the one which has a "Special Operations" role is the 4th Tercio Alejandro Farnesio (or the The 4th Alexander Farnesio Regiment). It is based in Ronda. It has two Banderas, one a Parachute Element, and another the Bandera de Operaciones. The BOEL ,as they are known as, is the Spanish Legion "Special" unit. The Battalion consists of about 500 men. It was once known as the OLEU. They are trained in serveral different area:
  
  - SCUBA/Maratime Warfare
  
  - Arctic and Mountain Warfare
  
  -Sabotage and Demolitions (BOEL Demo experts are very highly regarded)
  
  -Parachute and HALO techniques
  
  -Long Range Reconnaissance
  
  -Counterterrorism and CQB (very small amount of training is focused on this)
  
  -Vehicle insertion (The BOEL still use Land Rovers, BMR600s,Nissan trucks, and other American and British made vehicles)
  
  -Sniping
  
  -SERE
  
  The basic weapons used by the BOEL are the same as used by the Legion. These include the 5.56 CETME rifle, the 7.62 Ameli machine gun, the Star 9mm sub-machine gun and pistol, and 40mm grenade launchers. The Spanish Legion has the same camoflauge as the rest of the Spanish Army. A red tassle on their hats sets them apart from other units though.
• CenturionMBT

  12 May 05, 00:40

  oie oie dunnit to double post right?
  I transfer your thread to the other foreign legion topic. Pls continue there.