Why do I have to join the French Foreign Legion under an assumed name?
For years, young men have been running away from home to join the army. Some are hoping to leave behind disadvantaged conditions. Others are trying to escape a scandalous situation. Either way, they see the army as a place for redemption — a place to start over and earn respect. While many military forces acknowledge this reality, one uses it as a recruiting hook. That force is the French Foreign Legion, a unique mercenary unit in the French army that advertises itself as “the school of second chance.” Soldier Image Gallery A defining characteristic of the legion is its rule of anonymat (French for “anonymity”), which says that all Legionnaires must give up their civil identity upon enlisting. With their old identities set aside, recruits join the legion under a declared identity — a new name that they use during their first year of se
For years, young men have been running away from home to join the army. Some are hoping to leave behind disadvantaged conditions. Others are trying to escape a scandalous situation. Either way, they see the army as a place for redemption — a place to start over and earn respect. While many military forces acknowledge this reality, one uses it as a recruiting hook. That force is the French Foreign Legion, a unique mercenary unit in the French army that advertises itself as “the school of second chance.” Soldier Image Gallery A defining characteristic of the legion is its rule of anonymat (French for “anonymity”), which says that all Legionnaires must give up their civil identity upon enlisting. With their old identities set aside, recruits join the legion under a declared identity — a new name that they use during their first year of
