I was born a few years before the battle of Dien Bien Phu
And the Legion was still giving basic training at Sidi Bel Abbes. I was a small boy when I first made contact with the Legion. Now I should carefully explain that there are two Legions. One is a very professional arm of the French Military. In itself, the French Foreign Legion is an arguable military elite. The 2e REP, the airborne arm of the Legion, is inarguable elite fighting force. I am not going to get into that Legion at this time because as a small boy I was not introduced to them. That came later when I was in the service. I was initially introduced to the other legion, the Hollywood Foreign Legion through 1950s American television. Buster Crabbe played Captain Gallant in the show 'Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion'. The actual Legion has Legio Patria Nostra, The Legion is my Fatherland as one of their mottoes. The other is "Honor and Fidelity'. The Hollywood Foreign legion is different. Their motto is simply 'Never let the facts get in the...