lol your right LLL that's the way it was they took everyone thieves, murderers, rapists, the lot they cant really do it now if you have an Interpol warrant out then your toast really but other than that your golden so long as you pass selection.
It used to be so easy to join you just had to be breathing and able to march up until the 60's then they got professional they had to they got seriously beat in Vietnam/Cambodia while the brits got off lightly with there hearts and minds campaign the French were always seen as arrogant and because the officers were French it rubbed off on the legion despite what individual legionaires did for the locals.
The Vietnamese supported by Chinese regulars nearly did for the legion but also in a way added to the legion's reputation of fighting under impossible curcumstances.
Like I said read about dien bien phu sounds like a French gentleman's sausage up made glorious by individual bravery.
I joined because I had just gotten out the air force regiment was rtu'd during selection by an army unit that is supposed to be the best in the world because I was a little to shall we say enthusiastic plus my record of hitting people wasn't good
I was never a Mercenary although I was given and sometimes still get offers from private security forces, executive outcomes used to come calling a long time ago I cant keep track of a lot of them now they change names so often but iits normally people I have served with that come knocking with offers, I don't take any up I am nowhere near fit enough and after over 700 jumps 500 being combat jumps 200 of them being night jumps and about 30 of those being under fire my knees and ankles wont take a lot of punishment anymore
So I am happy to be who I am now I have no interest in fighting other peoples battles anymore I see enough faces every night without adding to them although there is still room for one or two more
