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Regimental Life In The
2nd REP - Chapter 5 Life throughout all combat regiments is fairly similar. An in-depth look at everyday life focuses on the activities of the 2nd REP (Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes - Foreign Parachute Regiment). Your first order of business as a member of the 2nd REP will be to undergo parachute training immediately upon your arrival in the regiment. You are billeted in quarters reserved for those taking the parachute course. The course is called a promotion or promo for short and lasts three to five weeks, depending on the availability of aircraft. You have to complete six jumps to earn your wings. One jump once had to be at night but this may no longer be required. Several commando centres are located throughout France. The training focuses on advanced soldiering techniques during a three week period. You are likely to complete at least one commando course during your career in the Legion. On one of these courses, a week is completed in Mont Louis in the Pyrenees mountains with the second week conducted at Collioure, located on the coast south of Perpignan. The final week consolidates the lessons learned during the first two. The following activities are covered:
A typical day in your regiment is scheduled something like this:
You can see that the Legion intrudes in your life at the end of a work day. Your free time is not necessarily your own. Africa is a regular destination of the Legion. The only countries you would normally conduct operations in are Chad and Djibouti though the possibility always exists for French troops to be deployed anywhere. French interests in Africa are still widespread. Africa is a volatile continent due to incessant tribal disputes and there is a regular need for foreign intervention. Leave is known as permission or permission longe durée (PLD) for extended periods. You are entitled to 15 days of paid leave in your first year which increases to a total of 45 days in your fifth year. While on leave you are required to remain in France and inform your regiment where you are staying and of any moving around you do. You will be issued a card that allows you a 75 percent discount on all train travel within France. You are paid once per month in cash. You can't have a bank account outside the Legion. You can re-deposit a portion of your pay into an account the Legion maintains for you or arrange to have it transferred to your home country. Your Legion account does not pay interest. An approximation of what you can expect to earn is as follows:
Pay varies depending on the regiment you belong to. Your earnings can double during a tour in Africa. Theft is rampant within the ranks of the Legion. The Legion invariably attracts those of dubious character so you will eventually encounter this problem. Since you are paid large sums of money in cash, it can be difficult to protect it from opportunity seekers when your guard is down. Material theft is also a major headache. One of the biggest problems the Legion has always faced, and continues to experience, is desertion. Desertions from the Legion number into the hundreds each year. Too many men join without having considered what they are getting themselves into. Numerous factors play a part in a person's decision to call it quits and flee their obligations. If you decide you've had enough and choose to desert, there are a number of steps you can take to improve your odds of not being caught. The easiest means of deserting is to wait until your unit is granted leave. You should then have at least two weeks to find a way out of France. In spite of the hardships there are many positive factors about being a Legionnaire. One of the more appealing advantages is an unmistakable amount of celebrity status. Training is a process that never ceases. You are instructed in areas specific to your regiment and company. Specialist courses such as administrator, cook, mechanic, medic, and radio operator are available. You will have the opportunity to take your caporal's course before the end of your first contract. Being a caporal is equivalent to being a junior NCO (Non Commissioned Officer). The Legion celebrates holidays the same as anyone else. Christmas and New Year's are the most familiar but it also commemorates Camerone, Bastille Day, and regimental patron saint days. The Legion has undergone a slow transformation from a machine of war to an instrument of peace. Peacekeeping is destined to be an important part of its future. Recent operations have included involvement in Kosovo, Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Lebanon in the early 1980's. Is a French Foreign Legionnaire a mercenary? By definition, yes. By what he knows to be true, no. A Legionnaire is merely a soldier who happens to be serving in another country. Is that somehow wrong just because it's in a military capacity? Some decisions will have to be made toward the end of your contract. Do you want to re-sign and extend your contract or apply for French citizenship? A common occurrence faced by many Legionnaires is being suddenly informed of a backlog of taxes. |