PK0 of Legionary Solidarity
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The Marker Too Many
By Jean-Marie DIEUZE
In our green and red microcosm, there's a rather fascinating reflex.
Someone has an idea.
Let's face it, that's not so common.
Even more surprising: they decide to carry it out.
That's where things get complicated, of course.
Because immediately, those who could have had the same idea before them appear.
But who didn't.
A president of a veterans' association thus conceived the idea of placing a small marker in front of his association's premises, within the Foreign Legion Veterans' Institution itself.
Not a monument.
Not a triumphal arch.
Not even an equestrian statue of the president.
A marker.
Named "PK0 of Solidarity."
The idea seems quite simple, though.
A starting point.
A symbol.
The one about solidarity among former legionnaires.
Which, for a veterans' association, doesn't seem entirely incongruous.
The marker isn't huge or expensive.
It doesn't play the Marseillaise every time someone passes by.
It doesn't flash at night.
It's there.
Simply.
But here's the thing.
It's not in the right place.
Just think!
The true PK0 of Solidarity should be at the Legionnaire's House in Auriol.
Immediately, the matter takes on a new dimension.
The subject becomes serious.
Almost strategic.
Hiding this marker that I can't bear to see…
That's how a rather modest initiative, perhaps also intended to mark the beginning of a presidency—volunteers for this role not exactly lining up—becomes a subject of controversy. Criticism is directed at people.
Fingers are pointed at.
It's almost condemned.
Meanwhile, the membership of our associations is dwindling. Donations are too.
The flag bearers are aging, and volunteers to replace them are becoming scarce.
Finding presidents, treasurers, secretaries, or even just a few willing helpers is getting harder every year.
But rest assured.
Committees are working on it.
They're brainstorming.
They're studying.
They're making proposals.
They're meeting.
Perhaps our president should have started there.
Created a committee.
Then a working group.
Prepared a report on the feasibility of a marker.
Determined its location.
Its height.
Its orientation.
A few months later, everyone would probably have agreed.
Or almost everyone.
The marker itself still wouldn't have been installed.
He had an idea.
He brought it to fruition.
In our green and red microcosm, that's already a lot.
Clearly, it might even have been a bit too much.