Louis PEREZ Y CID

Of Spanish origin, he arrived in France in 1967. A student at the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg in 1968, he interrupted his studies to enlist in the Foreign Legion in 1969.

The Legion
After his initial training in Bonifacio (GILE/1°RE), he was selected for the "fast track" program. He was made a corporal in 1970. He joined the NCO platoon in 1971, but was seriously injured in action and evacuated to Laveran Hospital in Marseille. Placed on a discharge list, he contributed to the newspaper Képi Blanc during his convalescence. Having recovered, he was reinstated and became a non-commissioned officer in 1973 at the CSLE/1°RE in Aubagne. Group leader at the 4th Company/13°DBLE in Holl-Holl - TFAI (75-77) - SOA in section at the 7th Company/2°RE in Corte (77-79) - Then again at Képi Blanc (79-82). Adjutant, he was assistant to the Equatorial Forest Training Center of the 3°REI in Guyana, (83-85), before commanding a combat section at the 4°Company/2°REI in Nîmes (85-87). As a major, he served again in the CSLE/1°RE White Hat. Promoted to officer in 1988, he was an Assistant Officer at the CSLE, then Chief of the BP/13°DBLE in Djibouti (89-91). He was an Assistant Officer of the DLEP at Fort Nogent (91-93). He served as a CDU of the CCSR/1°RE (93-95). He served as a CDU of the CSB/5°RE Mururoa-Hao (95-96). He left the Legion in 1998.
An artist at heart, his satisfaction lies in having left the Legion a logo, four badges, and numerous posters, illustrations, and exhibitions, both in France and abroad.

After the Legion
His artistic training, enriched by fellow legionnaire artists and his years in the White Hat, fueled his second career. Trained in ceramics with Guy Paris, he directed the Puyloubier workshop until 2019.
At the same time, he published two humorous comic strips with his lifelong friend, Christian Morisot (Léon and the Amazons, The Adventures of Cabé) and, on his own, prepared a six-album historical series, Les 18 (Magellan's Voyage). As the founding president of Légion’Arts, he continues to exhibit alongside other Legionnaire artists.
He also produced two albums for Editions du Triomphe (Avec le 5e Cuirassier and Avec Bigeard). In 2025, Légion’Arts became a publishing house; with colorist András-A. Toth, he published C’est la Légion, a historical comic strip inspired by true events within the Foreign Legion.