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A popular topic of films has been

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the French Foreign Legion. The

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French Foreign Legion was supposed to be an organization

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where somebody could get a new identity and a

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new start on life even if they were criminals.

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They were often stationed in hot, desolate places where

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they served out their tour of duty before starting

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this new life. But

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how much of the legend surrounding the French

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Foreign Legion is actually true? Learn

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more about the French Foreign Legion, how it

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was formed, and how it works on this

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French Foreign Legion has developed an almost mythical

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status in TV and movies. According

2:34

to the legend, the French Foreign Legion would take

2:37

anyone to become a member, regardless of their past

2:39

or what they might have done. In

2:42

return, the Legion would give the recruit a new identity, allowing

2:45

them to get a new start on life,

2:47

whatever mistakes or baggage from their previous life.

2:50

Unlike many episodes where I debunk common

2:53

misconceptions about something, as

2:55

we'll see, much of the legend surrounding

2:57

the French Foreign Legion is actually true.

3:00

The story of the founding of the French Foreign

3:03

Legion actually dates back to the early 19th century.

3:06

Following the French Revolution and the rise

3:08

and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Bourbon

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monarchy was re-established in 1815. It

3:14

only lasted 15 years until the July Revolution

3:16

of 1830, which led

3:18

to the overthrow of King Charles X,

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the French Bourbon monarch, who was replaced

3:23

by his cousin, Louis-Philippe, the Duke of

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Orleans. The now

3:28

King Louis-Philippe inherited a mess. France

3:31

was beset by economic difficulties, including

3:33

high unemployment and social unrest. In

3:36

addition to what was happening at home,

3:38

France needed to solidify its control over

3:40

its expanding colonial empire. In

3:43

particular, France had landed 34,000 troops in Algeria on June

3:45

14, 1830, just

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weeks before the July Revolution. The

3:53

Algerian occupation, which began under

3:55

King Charles, was highly unpopular

3:57

back in France. Italians

6:00

of Swiss, Germans, Italians, Spanish, Belgians,

6:02

and Dutch. They

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had troubles in the first months after the

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Legion was formed, which was not surprising given

6:09

the heterogeneity of all the units. Still,

6:12

they quickly coalesced and developed a reputation

6:14

for bravery and discipline. They

6:17

saw their first major action on April 1832 at

6:19

the Battle of Maison-Carré outside of

6:22

Algiers. They eventually

6:24

established their headquarters in the town of

6:26

City Belle-Abbess, about 375 kilometers

6:29

southwest of Algiers, which was their base

6:31

until 1962. The

6:34

Legion was used extensively over the next

6:36

century, and I do mean extensively. I

6:38

couldn't even possibly cover all of the

6:40

places around the world where the French

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Foreign Legion was deployed, given the time

6:44

limits of this podcast. In

6:47

addition to Algeria, in the decades

6:49

after its creation the Legion was

6:51

deployed in Spain, the Crimea, Italy,

6:53

Mexico, and Southeast Asia. They

6:55

fought in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870

6:58

for the very first time in France,

7:00

and all over Africa in the various

7:02

French African colonies. The

7:05

reason why the Legion was used so often

7:07

is simply because they were considered to be

7:09

more expendable than the regular French army. There

7:12

would be no public outcry when members of the

7:14

Foreign Legion were killed. Since

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its founding, there have been 35,000 Foreign

7:20

Legionnaires that have been killed in active

7:23

service. In

7:25

the 20th century, the use of Legionnaires did

7:27

not cease. When the First

7:29

World War began in 1914, many foreign nationals

7:31

living in France volunteered to serve in the

7:33

military. However, the only option

7:35

for them was to join the Foreign Legion.

7:39

On August 3, 1914, 8,000

7:41

foreign nationals living

7:43

in France appeared at Foreign Legion

7:45

recruiting offices throughout the country. Members

7:49

of the Foreign Legion served with distinction in

7:51

almost every major battle that France took part

7:53

in throughout the war. In

7:55

the Second World War, the loyalties of the

7:57

Foreign Legion were split between Vichy France which

7:59

was a Nazi puppet regime and that

8:01

of the Free French Movement led by Charles

8:03

de Gaulle. One

8:05

of the Legion's notable features is that the

8:07

country of origin of its recruits always changes

8:10

over time. For example, after the

8:12

Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Prussia occupied the

8:15

Alsace-Lorraine region between the two countries. And

8:18

after that, many people from that area

8:20

joined the foreign legion. After

8:23

the Second World War, the Legion received a

8:25

flood of recruits from, of all places, Germany.

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Many of them were former members of the German army.

8:31

They had spent years in the army and now that

8:33

the war was over, they felt they had no more

8:36

opportunities in Germany. The foreign

8:38

legion did have a policy of not accepting

8:40

former members of the SS and they would

8:42

look for relevant tattoos or scars that indicated

8:44

some sort of removal. The

8:47

post-war world didn't see the foreign legion

8:49

lose any of its relevance. In

8:52

almost every conflict that France fought in, the

8:54

foreign legion was there. They

8:56

fought in the first Indochina War from

8:58

1946 to 1954, where

9:00

they saw huge losses at the Battle

9:02

of Dien-Benfou. They

9:04

fought for the French in the Algerian War

9:07

of Independence and eventually had to give up

9:09

their headquarters in Algeria when it became independent.

9:12

In the last few decades, they have been

9:14

used as peacekeepers all over the world and

9:16

have fought in the First Iraq War, the

9:18

Bosnian War, Afghanistan, and in Ivory Coast, Mali,

9:20

and other places. Currently,

9:22

there are about 8,000 members of

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the French foreign legion around the world. But

9:28

what about the stories about the French foreign

9:30

legion accepting anyone, even those guilty of a

9:32

crime? Do they really give you a new

9:34

identity? And what does it take to join the French

9:37

foreign legion? For

9:39

starters, you have to apply to the French

9:41

foreign legion in person

9:43

in France. There are

9:45

no satellite recruitment offices anywhere else in

9:48

the world. That means that

9:50

you have to get yourself to France and take

9:52

care of any visa requirements in order to enter

9:54

the country. The French

9:56

foreign legion recruitment centers are open 24 hours

9:58

a day. 365

10:02

days a year. However, they do recommend that

10:04

you show up during normal business hours. Before

10:07

you even begin the process, you have to be a

10:09

male between the ages of 17 ½ and 39

10:13

½ years old. Women are not allowed

10:15

to be in the French Foreign Legion. You

10:17

can be married and have children, but it is

10:20

not encouraged. In the past,

10:22

you could enlist under an alias, because they really

10:24

had no way of checking. Today,

10:26

however, you have to enlist under your legal

10:28

name initially, and you have to have a

10:30

passport and a birth certificate. As

10:33

far as having a criminal record goes, in

10:36

the past, they would have accepted pretty much

10:38

anybody. In theory, they headed

10:40

don't ask, don't tell policy regarding serious crimes

10:43

such as murder. Today,

10:45

they can check the background of a recruit. They

10:48

are a bit vague, saying that they will

10:50

not accept anyone with a quote, serious crime,

10:52

and that you can't be wanted by Interpol.

10:55

However, they will probably turn a blind

10:58

eye to lesser crimes. If

11:00

you are on the run for, say, robbery, tax

11:02

evasion, or something else, they will probably accept you.

11:05

Likewise, if you are AWOL from another

11:07

army, you will likewise probably be accepted.

11:11

You must have a body mass index between 20

11:13

and 30, and you have to be physically fit.

11:16

Knowledge of French is not a requirement, but

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you must be able to read and write

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in your native language. If

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you pass all the requirements, you will

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be presented with a 5 year service

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contract that is non-negotiable. Once

11:30

you sign your contract, your personal possessions

11:32

are taken and stored, and you will

11:34

be given a new identity. Everyone

11:37

is given a new identity, even if you don't

11:39

want to get rid of your real name. More

11:42

on that in a bit. The

11:44

Recruitment Center has a series that

11:46

lasts several days, and at any point

11:48

in the process, you can be expelled.

11:51

But assuming you pass everything, they then have a

11:54

4 month training program you have to go through.

11:57

After all of that, recruits take their

11:59

own and deliver their contract in

12:01

the Hall of Honor in the French

12:03

Foreign Legion Museum in Obagne, France. After

12:07

that, they are then allowed to wear the distinctive

12:09

white kepi hat which is part of the uniform of

12:11

the order. The Legionnaire

12:13

has a bank account set up with their new

12:15

identity where their pay is sent. A

12:17

new recruit will be paid about 1,400 euro

12:19

per month, but all of

12:22

their food, clothing and shelter and

12:24

medical expenses are covered. There

12:27

are salary bonuses if you have a difficult

12:29

or dangerous assignment. And on top

12:31

of all that, you get 45 days off

12:33

per year, which for a military service is

12:36

pretty generous. After

12:38

one year, every Legionnaire has to make a

12:40

choice. They can keep their new identity or

12:42

revert back to their old one. This

12:45

is called rectification. 80%

12:47

of all Legionnaires choose to get their old names

12:50

back. Those who choose

12:52

to go back to their real names will have

12:54

the option after three years is up to apply

12:56

for French citizenship. However, there

12:58

is an even faster way to obtain French

13:00

citizenship, and the way you do that is

13:02

by being injured in combat. All

13:06

Legionnaires have to undergo daily French

13:08

language instruction. Today, the

13:10

largest source of recruits for the Legion is

13:12

from Eastern Europe and South America. The

13:15

French Foreign Legion has proven so successful

13:18

that several countries have outright copied the

13:20

idea. Spain, Portugal, the

13:22

Netherlands and Russia have all at one

13:24

time or another had special units of

13:27

foreign soldiers. Many

13:29

more countries allow foreign citizens to join

13:31

their armies directly, eliminating the need for

13:33

a dedicated foreign unit. Yet, there has

13:35

been talk of creating an American Foreign

13:37

Legion, but nothing has ever come of

13:39

it. The

13:42

French Foreign Legion has a storied history

13:44

marked by its role in major conflicts,

13:46

its unique composition of foreign volunteers, and

13:49

its enduring mystique. People

13:51

join the Legion for various reasons, including

13:53

the promise of a new beginning, the

13:55

allure of adventure, and the opportunity for

13:58

personal and professional transformation. After

14:00

almost 200 years, the Legion's

14:03

legacy continues to be shaped by

14:05

its diverse and dedicated members who

14:07

come from all corners of the

14:09

globe. The

14:13

Executive Producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is

14:15

Charles Daniel. The Associate Producers are Benji

14:17

Long and Cameron Kiever. I

14:20

want to give a big shout out to everyone

14:22

who supports the show over on Patreon, including the

14:24

show's producers. Your support helps me

14:26

put out a show every single day. And

14:29

also, Patreon is currently the only place where

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Everything Everywhere Daily merchandise is available to the

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top tier of supporters. If

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you'd like to talk to other listeners of the

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join the Everything Everywhere Daily Facebook group or Discord

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server. Links to everything are in

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the show notes.