If you notice any errors in the translations, remember:
"In the Legion, of the 144 languages, there is only one language: understanding each other."
About Legion'Arts
The French Foreign Legion and Art
By Louis Perez y Cid
For over two centuries, military painting and sculpture have occupied a unique place in French artistic creation. Masters such as Horace Vernet (1789-1863), Édouard Detaille (1848-1912), and Alphonse de Neuville (1835-1885) shaped a true visual tradition where historical realism, the exaltation of courage, and the memory of battles intertwine. This lineage of artists gave rise to a powerful, often monumental, iconography that tells the story of both the evolution of the French army and the spirit of those who serve it.
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Views of the Elders
Chifta, the Lion of Ali-Sabieh
This account is by our comrade Wolf Zinc, who recently passed away. With his characteristic attention to detail and understated humor, he recounts several episodes from his command at Ali-Sabieh in 1977.
Through these memories, sometimes comical, sometimes improbable, emerges the man he was: an officer attentive to his men, capable of remaining calm in the face of the unexpected, and always faithful to a certain sense of duty.
From pigs to cheetahs, and finally to the lion Chifta, these anecdotes reveal far more than they initially seem about daily life, the spirit of the Legion, and the responsibility of command.
To reread these pages today is to rediscover his voice, his gaze, and to share one last time those moments he knew how to describe with such simplicity and precision.
Louis Perez y Cid Read More...
Through these memories, sometimes comical, sometimes improbable, emerges the man he was: an officer attentive to his men, capable of remaining calm in the face of the unexpected, and always faithful to a certain sense of duty.
From pigs to cheetahs, and finally to the lion Chifta, these anecdotes reveal far more than they initially seem about daily life, the spirit of the Legion, and the responsibility of command.
To reread these pages today is to rediscover his voice, his gaze, and to share one last time those moments he knew how to describe with such simplicity and precision.
Louis Perez y Cid Read More...
The Move from Chifta
Reflexions
Did you say European Community*?
By Louis Perez y Cid
The Story of a Power That Gave Up
I am talking about our Europe, not as it is portrayed, but as it has objectively become within the international system.
Here I highlight the power dynamics, which is precisely the role of history.
Here I highlight the power dynamics, which is precisely the role of history.
The European Paradox
Europe is a historical paradox.
It is the continent that invented the modern state, sovereignty, taxation, industrial warfare, capitalism, international law, and political universalism. It dominated the world for several centuries before collapsing under the weight of its own rivalries.
Today, Europe is neither poor nor weak in a material sense. It is rich, educated, technologically advanced, and demographically significant. Yet, it is no longer a sovereign political power. It is more acted upon than acted upon. It reacts more than it decides.
This decline is not accidental. It is the product of a specific history.
It is the continent that invented the modern state, sovereignty, taxation, industrial warfare, capitalism, international law, and political universalism. It dominated the world for several centuries before collapsing under the weight of its own rivalries.
Today, Europe is neither poor nor weak in a material sense. It is rich, educated, technologically advanced, and demographically significant. Yet, it is no longer a sovereign political power. It is more acted upon than acted upon. It reacts more than it decides.
This decline is not accidental. It is the product of a specific history.
Europe before Europe: Power, Conflict, and Self-Destruction
Facts
AALE and JAL: Evolution?
Between impeccably organized traditions… and evolutions that overflow the boundaries. Associations of former legionnaires were created to bring together those who have experienced something that can never truly be explained to others. A story of mud, fatigue, brotherhood… and memories that are only half-told, because the other half is either guessed or left unsaid.
Officially, they talk about ceremonies, flags, and traditions. Unofficially, everyone knows that the essence lies elsewhere: in the phone call made at the right moment, the drink shared for no good reason, and that strange connection that sometimes allows you to understand each other without finishing sentences. In short, the Legion spirit doesn't reside in statutes. It circulates among people and likes to take shortcuts.
Each association has its own character. Garrison town, deep countryside, or remote corner of the world, each tells a different story. This is what makes them so valuable… and sometimes leads to endless meetings.
Officially, they talk about ceremonies, flags, and traditions. Unofficially, everyone knows that the essence lies elsewhere: in the phone call made at the right moment, the drink shared for no good reason, and that strange connection that sometimes allows you to understand each other without finishing sentences. In short, the Legion spirit doesn't reside in statutes. It circulates among people and likes to take shortcuts.
Each association has its own character. Garrison town, deep countryside, or remote corner of the world, each tells a different story. This is what makes them so valuable… and sometimes leads to endless meetings.
Young Veterans (JAL): The Question That Always Comes Up
Literary Explorations
Comics, the Meaning of Life
Unlike many politicians, our friend Christian keeps his promises. The second post on comics is still fresh off the press. He doesn't do this half-heartedly; there are no half measures. You can tell he's a comic book addict; he knows his stuff… Many years ago, he took me through the streets of Aix-en-Provence to show me a bookstore specializing in them. He probably doesn't remember it anymore, but I remember it very well, so astonished was I by the owners' passion for the world of comics, as if surprised by the glee in Christian's eyes. These comics aren't for kids; they're very adult and very serious.
I humbly confess that I never thought I could elevate my mind to such a degree—like on Jacob's Ladder, which he mentions—thanks to comics. But come to think of it… who knows!
Today he's talking about Calvin, complete with his tiger and his famous box. He feels literally hypnotized by the box's contents. As he himself says, it's a veritable Pandora's box where you find everything that can affect us in life.
A marvelous world where you can dive headfirst without being mistaken for an old man having a midlife crisis.
Our friend Christian has more in store for us…
Antoine Marquet.
Comics. Calvin and Hobbes
All this is happening above our heads
For the past few years, our lifestyles have been disrupted by the advent of tools at our disposal, such as computers and mobile phones. Social media floods us with an immeasurable amount of information from sources ranging from the plausible to the fantastical.
“In the old days,” before a book was published, its content was verified, modified if necessary, and could even lead to legal action.
Today, you don’t need to possess knowledge to claim the right to disseminate and share it. Any fool can enter our homes and spew their ideas through our screens. A new profession has emerged: influencer. Previously, it was called sales representative.
And the worst is yet to come. Artificial intelligence is taking its place in this deluge. Every day, stunned, we witness this drama unfolding before our eyes. We no longer know if this information is real or entirely fabricated.
It's no wonder that weak minds are so easily disturbed.
In my remarks today, I will only mention a recent IFOP poll: 9% of French people believe the Earth is flat, and this figure rises to 24% among teenagers.
“In the old days,” before a book was published, its content was verified, modified if necessary, and could even lead to legal action.
Today, you don’t need to possess knowledge to claim the right to disseminate and share it. Any fool can enter our homes and spew their ideas through our screens. A new profession has emerged: influencer. Previously, it was called sales representative.
And the worst is yet to come. Artificial intelligence is taking its place in this deluge. Every day, stunned, we witness this drama unfolding before our eyes. We no longer know if this information is real or entirely fabricated.
It's no wonder that weak minds are so easily disturbed.
In my remarks today, I will only mention a recent IFOP poll: 9% of French people believe the Earth is flat, and this figure rises to 24% among teenagers.
Our Earth, what is its shape?
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WHO WE ARE
Légion’Arts is an independent publishing house created by former legionnaire artists: preserving and sharing the memory of the Foreign Legion through authentic, human, and inspiring works. Every legionnaire has a voice. With Légion’Arts, these stories become a collective memory, accessible to all.