While browsing in a library, a children's book, a comic book, caught my eye. It talked about our Earth and life, on the continents, in the seas, and in the air.
I was surprised by an image depicting men, admittedly dressed in animal skins, hunting dinosaurs. How can we allow the idea to creep into the minds of our children that these two living species could have coexisted?
Let's briefly recall these periods when Earth was home to these two "colonizers," dinosaurs and humans.

Scientists place the creation of the Universe, the Big Bang, around 13.5 billion years ago.

Our solar system, including Earth, was born a little less than 5 billion years ago, to round off the figures.

We have to go back a little over 500 million years to see the Earth begin to show signs of life. Jellyfish and fish began to populate the seas. Then, on the continents, lichens and plants colonized the land.
Next came mammals and dinosaurs at the end of the Paleozoic Era, 250 million years ago. Read more...

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.

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Christmas is about sharing. And to truly mark this sincere brotherhood, every legionnaire receives a gift. Whatever it may be, it is the intangible token of the leader's appreciation for his subordinates. Presenting gifts to legionnaires represents a powerful moment of humanity and camaraderie. It is given from the heart.

The two photos that follow are characteristic of the enduring spirit of this immortal Legion. General Philippe Rollet at Christmas, speaking with a legionnaire, and a few decades later, General COMLE, Alain Bouquin, presenting a legionnaire with his Christmas gift.

Do you believe in coincidence? To bring things full circle, as they say, I chose these two photos because General Bouquin is from the same graduating class as…General Rollet. Read more...

Christmas is a Christian holiday, but throughout the world it symbolizes something powerful. A time to look out for one's neighbor, to share a few words of friendship, messages of hope, and truces in conflicts. One only needs to look at television screens to take a tour of the world of the magical Christmas Eve celebrated across the globe, in the icy cold of Scandinavia, on the sunny beaches of the Southern Hemisphere, among revelers who spend exorbitant sums for the occasion, or with the destitute in the poorest neighborhoods who mark this special day with what little they have.
Regardless of their status, people are keen to mark this tradition of sharing with gifts, and children receive presents commensurate with their social standing. All countries, in a great ecumenical communion, celebrate Christmas, even if they revert to their old habits the very next day. Yes, Mr. Fourcade, it's a shame there's only one Christmas a year! Read more...

Past civilizations used different models to measure the inexorable passage of time: the Egyptians used the water clock; for them, the year began with the heliacal rising of the star Sirius; others observed the changing phases of the Moon and thus counted the months and years.

Then humankind established that the day was the time it took for the Earth to rotate on its axis and the year to complete one orbit around the Sun.
For legionnaires, who have invented their own unique language, the time spent under the seven-flamed grenade is counted differently: "I spent 23 Camerone Days in the Legion." This is, in a way, the "Official Clock." But they can also refer to this time with Christmas, as this moment is a high point in the calendar and activities of our Institution. "Oh time, suspend your flight."

Every officer, non-commissioned officer, or legionnaire remembers with melancholy this holiday that leaves such a deep impression, for it is so naturally aligned with the Legion's raison d'être: to find refuge for wandering people, rejected by society. This refuge offers them solidarity, understanding, material and moral support, and comfort.

But what does Christmas represent on Earth, beyond religions, in its very definition, its date, and of course, the importance this holiday holds for the Legion and its carefully and enduring rituals, established over generations? In this very special time, let us reflect on late December and the symbolism of Christmas. Read more...

Every legionnaire today is intimately familiar with the current regiments and their deployments. Some participated in their most recent missions and interventions: the Balkans, Afghanistan, the Sahel. A glance at their decorations is enough to convince oneself, as Napoleon might have said to his veterans at Austerlitz, that "they were there."
For others, older members of our veterans' associations, the memory of the Gulf War, Kolwezi, North Africa, and, more rarely, Indochina, is also etched on their chests.

But these heroic deeds should not make us forget all those units, admittedly less well-known and now defunct, that contributed to maintaining peace, stabilizing our borders, providing aid to populations, and safeguarding France's presence in what we called our colonies. Algeria was the birthplace of the Legion. And on this land, to which they tirelessly returned after their hard-fought battles, to heal their wounds and rebuild their battered ranks, the Legion established numerous small outposts in the Sahara Desert, as it would later do in Indochina, in the Delta, and in the jungle.
Some of these units bore the insignia of the Cross of Agadez, or Southern Cross. These were the CSPL, the Saharan Motorized Company of the Legion.
It would be far too lengthy to mention all these units that proudly displayed the seven-flamed grenade. Life is made up of choices.
Therefore, keeping the "connection" from the heavens—that is, the Southern Cross—as our guiding thread, let us humbly recall some of these ephemeral garrisons established in the middle of nowhere, where the legionnaire once again demonstrated his incredible ability to adapt to climatic, territorial, and human conditions. Apologies in advance to our veterans who may have served in companies not listed here. Read more...

How many novels and films have depicted the invasion of Earth by these creatures from elsewhere, from our galaxy or even further afield?
Aboard flying saucers, their movements sometimes shrill, sometimes perfectly still, depending on the witness, equipped with extravagant lights, they come to spy on us, mainly at night, provoking insurmountable anxieties and psychedelic episodes in some humans.

Certainly, they differ from us physically. The authors' imaginations know no bounds. Slanted eyes, missing fingers, including a small one that remains raised, a language supposedly understandable by humans.

And in the majority of these works, one constant remains: they come from Mars. The little green men are after our planet.
When we invite people to look at the Moon through telescopes at our parties, it's not uncommon, far from it, to hear some ask: "Can we see the Martians?" It just goes to show, they're everywhere.

How did they come into being? What does Mars represent? Is it comparable to ours? And when will we see humans on Mars?
Let's try to answer these questions. Read more...

Gone are the days when we had to wait for night to envelop us and gradually reveal its beauty by lighting up the stars, one after another.
Only then could we discover an intruder in a particular constellation: a planet passing through on its eternal journey around the Sun; or even better: the ultimate surprise, the presence of a comet.

Today, we plan our stargazing evenings. Thanks to computer tools, there are no more surprises. We know exactly where to point the telescope to find Saturn adorned with its rings, Jupiter and the dance of its four moons, and Venus in the form of a crescent.
The highlight of the evening: we invite the audience to look towards a very specific point in the sky, and at the appointed minute, we point a laser at this small luminous object that will slowly traverse the celestial vault: the ISS, the International Space Station. Down to the exact hour, to the second. Enough to make our SNCF railway workers dream! Read more...

One might think it's the title of a fairy tale. It's not. Simply a parallel one might dare to draw. It's risky, but on closer inspection…
The war memorial in Aubagne displays, in its gilded splendor, the countries where the Legion has fought throughout its history.
In Sidi Bel Abbès, our predecessors began their careers at the foot of this monument and returned there tirelessly to finish their journey.
Stone by stone, this symbol was dismantled and brought back to Aubagne, where today's legionnaire begins and ends his time in the Legion. At the foot of the Boule, as some say.
All one sees is the gold, symbolizing the battles fought by this troop that came from everywhere to fight everywhere. There is nothing more powerful. Read more...

Night after night, the stars return to the same positions relative to one another. Since their arrival on Earth, humans, observing the sky revolving around them, quickly understood that they could use it as a guide.
To this end, they soon divided the celestial vault into drawings representing objects, animals, and figures. The constellations were born.

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The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping. There's no doubt about it: Christmas is approaching. Children and grown-ups alike will soon be writing that famous letter to Santa Claus.
Some will have the brilliant idea of ​​ordering a telescope, a chance to travel into space and escape from earthly worries.
With a little over 60 years of experience, may I offer some useful advice to these future astronomers? For years, I've organized practical evenings for the setup of telescopes sold by chain stores, whose salespeople, despite the inscription on the back of their T-shirts, are not necessarily experts in the field. What should you choose?

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The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping. There's no doubt about it: Christmas is approaching. Children and grown-ups alike will soon be writing that famous letter to Santa Claus.
Some will have the brilliant idea of ​​ordering a telescope, a chance to travel into space and escape from earthly worries.
With a little over 60 years of experience, may I offer some useful advice to these future astronomers? For years, I've organized practical evenings for the setup of telescopes sold by chain stores, whose salespeople, despite the inscription on the back of their T-shirts, are not necessarily experts in the field. What should you choose?
First of all, I'm clear: the most important thing in a refractor or telescope is its mount. It sounds strange, but that's how it is. Lightweight mounts, made of plastic or aluminum, should be avoided. We observe the sky OUTSIDE, therefore, exposed to the slightest breeze. If your instrument experiences even the slightest tremors, this refractor, this telescope, will soon end up in the back of the garage. Disgusted.

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April 30, 1863. Camerone. It is the privileged moment when we feel the pulse of legionary solidarity. Across the earth, we share in the memory of these 63 men who, that day, inscribed in the most glorious pages of the French Army, their courage and respect for their given word. In all the regiments, in all the Veterans' Associations, we listen at attention to the account of this memorable battle.

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The Earth belongs to a large family: the Solar System. Read more...

I am always very surprised, during my evenings with the public, when I ask the names of the planets in our solar system, to find that the name of our brave Earth regularly comes last. That's just the way it is. No one is a prophet in their own country. Read more