51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh well, scratch that idea, December 15, 2005
As a youngster, or even as an adult, did you ever fantasize about leaving it all behind by running away with a cloth sack tied to the end of a stick to join the French Foreign Legion, be posted to an isolated fortress outpost in the Saharan desert, and fight Arab hordes alongside Beau Geste (Gary Cooper)? In LIFE IN THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION, author Evan McGorman will perhaps disabuse you of that notion. Perhaps not.
As a Canadian teenager, McGorman became entranced with the legendary image of the Legion. After serving 4 years in an artillery unit of the Royal Canadian Army, Evan enlisted in the Légion Étrangère in 1989 on a 5-year contract. Based on his experiences, this book is his good-faith attempt to strip away the romance surrounding the contemporary Legion and give a true picture of service within its ranks to anybody contemplating joining.
McGorman begins his narrative where it logically should, i.e. with the addresses of the Legion's recruiting centers in France; he himself joined in Paris. He covers just about everything you need to know: enlistment requirements, what to bring - French/English dictionary, shaving gear, toiletries, towel, cigarettes, watch, wallet, personal address book (all of which might fit in that sack at the end of the stick) - the enlistment contract, changing your name, aptitude tests, orientation, basic training, learning French (rapidly), singing and marching, the legion's Code of Honor, the signature Képi Blanc cap, ranks, saluting, addressing superiors, the annoying corvée (menial chores), guard service, corporal punishment, phoning and writing home, doing laundry, weapons, physical training, meals, and regimental structure. Once graduated from basic training, Evan is assigned to the Legion's single parachute regiment. Subsequently, his narrative includes everything you'd need to know about regimental life: parachute training, company structure, commando training, daily schedule, vacation leave, pay, theft, desertion, tips on deserting, the practical benefits of being a Legionnaire (e.g. being a Babe Magnet), specialist training, holidays, and the perception of the Legion as a band of hardbitten, unsavory mercenaries.
During his stint, McGorman did tours of duty in Africa - Chad and Djibouti - as well as one with the UN peacekeeping force in Sarajevo. Much of the book is dedicated to his experiences in those places.
Finally, Evan ends his narrative where it logically should, i.e. with the mustering out experience: an unexpected tax bill from the French government, inducements to re-enlist, tidying up administrative details, the final paycheck, corvée to the very end, the Certificate of Military Service, and the good-bye address from the Commandant of the Legion.
The subtitle of LIFE IN THE FRECH FOREIGN LEGION is HOW TO JOIN AND WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU GET THERE. What McGorman provides is exactly that, a comprehensive overview done in an informal, lucid, and informative style much like you'd get in a conversation over several beers. While the author lays claim to no regrets about his years with the Legion, he's soberingly honest about why he wouldn't necessarily recommend it: the incessant corvée, the boredom, the constant hold the organization has on your time - the same complaints any soldier or sailor will have about any military outfit anywhere. But, he also says it was the experience of a lifetime.
If you've never been fascinated by the concept, mystery, and history of the French Foreign Legion and are content with the daily grind of the same old rut, then this book is not for you - 0 stars. But, if Beau Geste beckons from the other side of the citadel wall, then it's worth every one of five stars simply as a primer for the experience. Personally, I guess I'll just put the sack and stick back in the closet and take out the trash (corvée) as ordered by my Commanding Officer Wife.
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65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth every penny!, January 29, 2001
This review is from: Life in the French Foreign Legion : How to Join and What to Expect When You Get There (Hardcover)
The thought of joining the Legion has been at the back of my mind since I was in high school. I have read every book and magazine article about it I could get my hands on. Evan McGorman's account is by far the most interesting and candid that I have found. It is mainly an account of his five years service in the Legion's parachute regiment, but he has thrown in much useful information for someone who is genuinely considering enlisting. Items such as where to join, what happens to you during the selection process, and the physical requirements demanded of a Legionnaire will all be of interest to the prospective recruit.
The main thing I got out of this immensely readable book, however, was how much like any other Western army the modern Legion is. Work details, spartan living conditions and not a lot of training seem to be the lot of a Legionnaire today. This book dispelled much of the romance I had for the Legion and managed to do what countless other works had failed: end my fantasies of absconding for a life in the Legion.
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