Camerone
On the occasion of Camerone, a pivotal moment in the tradition of the French Foreign Legion, this text by Antoine Marquet offers a close reading of the command's communication. Through an analysis of the symbols, decorations, and figures highlighted, he examines the evolution of the Legion's narrative in light of its heritage.
Louis Perez y Cid
Between Tradition and Evolution of the Foreign Legion
By Antoine Marquet.
Communication from General Cyrille Youchtchenko, Commander of the French Foreign Legion.
"We belong to a generation that has once again decorated our flags, whether with citations, medals – including the recently decorated 5th Foreign Regiment – or fourragères, awarded in recognition of the individual citations earned by each regiment. We have ten 'marshals' among our non-commissioned officers. Therefore, to symbolize these 40 years of operations, I decided to ask Warrant General Thierry Burkhard, who served from 1986 to 2025, to carry Captain Danjou's hand in Aubagne. He accepted.
He will be accompanied by:
- Chief Warrant Officer (Ret.) Jörgen Madsen, who, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Prince Aage of Denmark, joined the Legion in 1955 and served in the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment, the 1st Foreign Regiment, and the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment. Wounded twice and cited three times;
- Chief Warrant Officer (Ret.) Luigi Da Pont, like the cohort of Garibaldi and Ponticelli, Italians like himself, enlisted in 1961 and served in the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE), and the 1st Foreign Regiment, earning two citations.
Communication from General Cyrille Youchtchenko, Commander of the French Foreign Legion.
"We belong to a generation that has once again decorated our flags, whether with citations, medals – including the recently decorated 5th Foreign Regiment – or fourragères, awarded in recognition of the individual citations earned by each regiment. We have ten 'marshals' among our non-commissioned officers. Therefore, to symbolize these 40 years of operations, I decided to ask Warrant General Thierry Burkhard, who served from 1986 to 2025, to carry Captain Danjou's hand in Aubagne. He accepted.
He will be accompanied by:
- Chief Warrant Officer (Ret.) Jörgen Madsen, who, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Prince Aage of Denmark, joined the Legion in 1955 and served in the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment, the 1st Foreign Regiment, and the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment. Wounded twice and cited three times;
- Chief Warrant Officer (Ret.) Luigi Da Pont, like the cohort of Garibaldi and Ponticelli, Italians like himself, enlisted in 1961 and served in the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE), and the 1st Foreign Regiment, earning two citations.
From Crowned Heads to Starred Kepis
Rumors, always rumors, suggested that crowned heads might march in the Camerone parade, along the Sacred Way, carrying the famous hand of Captain Danjou. The editorial by the general commanding the Foreign Legion, published in Képi Blanc at the beginning of the year, could have fueled this hypothesis.
The official communiqué of March 23rd put an end to these speculations by revealing the identity of the bearer and his companions. Beyond this clarification, this text, intended to highlight forty years of operations, nevertheless raises several questions regarding the consistency of the message and the evolution of customs within the Legion.
Traditionally, the ceremony of Camerone highlights another significant episode in the history of the French Foreign Legion, sometimes echoing more recent engagements. This year, the focus is different: it is not specific acts of bravery that are being honored, but rather the decorations awarded to regiments over the past few decades.
The general mentions citations, medals, and fourragères, the latter being, in his words, "obtained in light of the individual citations earned by each regiment." This wording is surprising. Until now, the awarding of a fourragère was based on collective citations, obtained at the army level for exceptional acts of bravery performed by a unit. The press release seems to introduce a different logic, based on the accumulation of individual awards. Is this a regulatory change? If so, it deserves to be explained, as it alters the very spirit of this distinction.
In the same vein, it is stated that numerous regiments have recently been decorated, and that the 5th Foreign Regiment has also received a new distinction. Here again, a more precise explanation would have been welcome.
This choice of focus is all the more puzzling given that certain significant events do not appear to have been included. The 50th anniversary of the Loyada affair, in which the 2nd Company of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) intervened alongside elements of the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE), a reconnaissance and sniper squadron, would have been an obvious opportunity for recognition.
General (ret.) Thierry Burkhard, former Chief of Staff of the Army and then of the Armed Forces, chosen to carry Captain Danjou's hand, has been a key figure in the policy of unit recognition in recent years. The choice of his companions, symbolically linked to certain prominent foreign figures of the Legion, also contributes to this carefully orchestrated presentation. We also learn that the 4th Company of the 2nd REP, formerly commanded by Captain Burkhard, will march on the sacred way.
The press release continues by Elsewhere, a formula that is sure to raise eyebrows: “We have ten ‘marshals’ among our non-commissioned officers.” When Pierre Sergent spoke of the “marshals of the Legion,” he was not referring to a specific number, but to an informal recognition, forged by combat experience and consecrated by their peers.
This expression referred to a de facto elite, born of the conflicts in Indochina and Algeria, and not to a defined or countable category. Reducing this notion to a number—even a symbolic one—profoundly alters its meaning. Are we now to understand that there are “official marshals,” identified, validated, almost administered? Or does this formula does this reflect a deeper evolution: that of an institution which, in its eagerness to explain and formalize its own myths, ends up simplifying their essence?
By trying so hard to tell its own story, the Legion may risk diminishing what constituted its complexity, its mystery—and, with them, a part of its grandeur.
The official communiqué of March 23rd put an end to these speculations by revealing the identity of the bearer and his companions. Beyond this clarification, this text, intended to highlight forty years of operations, nevertheless raises several questions regarding the consistency of the message and the evolution of customs within the Legion.
Traditionally, the ceremony of Camerone highlights another significant episode in the history of the French Foreign Legion, sometimes echoing more recent engagements. This year, the focus is different: it is not specific acts of bravery that are being honored, but rather the decorations awarded to regiments over the past few decades.
The general mentions citations, medals, and fourragères, the latter being, in his words, "obtained in light of the individual citations earned by each regiment." This wording is surprising. Until now, the awarding of a fourragère was based on collective citations, obtained at the army level for exceptional acts of bravery performed by a unit. The press release seems to introduce a different logic, based on the accumulation of individual awards. Is this a regulatory change? If so, it deserves to be explained, as it alters the very spirit of this distinction.
In the same vein, it is stated that numerous regiments have recently been decorated, and that the 5th Foreign Regiment has also received a new distinction. Here again, a more precise explanation would have been welcome.
This choice of focus is all the more puzzling given that certain significant events do not appear to have been included. The 50th anniversary of the Loyada affair, in which the 2nd Company of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) intervened alongside elements of the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE), a reconnaissance and sniper squadron, would have been an obvious opportunity for recognition.
General (ret.) Thierry Burkhard, former Chief of Staff of the Army and then of the Armed Forces, chosen to carry Captain Danjou's hand, has been a key figure in the policy of unit recognition in recent years. The choice of his companions, symbolically linked to certain prominent foreign figures of the Legion, also contributes to this carefully orchestrated presentation. We also learn that the 4th Company of the 2nd REP, formerly commanded by Captain Burkhard, will march on the sacred way.
The press release continues by Elsewhere, a formula that is sure to raise eyebrows: “We have ten ‘marshals’ among our non-commissioned officers.” When Pierre Sergent spoke of the “marshals of the Legion,” he was not referring to a specific number, but to an informal recognition, forged by combat experience and consecrated by their peers.
This expression referred to a de facto elite, born of the conflicts in Indochina and Algeria, and not to a defined or countable category. Reducing this notion to a number—even a symbolic one—profoundly alters its meaning. Are we now to understand that there are “official marshals,” identified, validated, almost administered? Or does this formula does this reflect a deeper evolution: that of an institution which, in its eagerness to explain and formalize its own myths, ends up simplifying their essence?
By trying so hard to tell its own story, the Legion may risk diminishing what constituted its complexity, its mystery—and, with them, a part of its grandeur.
PS – An exhibition on the “Nobility of Service and Crowned Heads” is open until January 3, 2027, at the French Foreign Legion Museum.
Happy Camerone Day to all.
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