The foreign Legion,
It is a family and especially a state of mind. Legionnaires, when you win
Your white képpi, you will understand: You become a legionnary
And remain until death. Take cover! I want no one standing here! Go back, go back go back You're in charge of firing, stay here You're not lined up!
Align yourself! *Name of the Legionnary* If you move your arm like that once again I'll break your hand! Even if I have a heart attack,
I'm not moving. Rigor! Discipline! We, never, give up, nor deads Nor wonded NOR WEAPONS When you put the kepi, Here, after, like that. It's not here, right? Here, normal, okay? Get up ! March! Left, left ... *Slow down* Stop, at walking pace, raise your head and align! Nobody leaves! Fire ! Every morning at Fort de Nogent, One of the two recruitment centers
of the Foreign Legion, Some men
from all over the world are candidates
for a five-year commitment. they will change their name and,
for French nationals. becoming a foreigner,
because the region accepts the French, but on condition that they
a national of borrowing. For what reasons did you come to the Legion? Well, only the main reason For the sportif aspect, the travel aspect too. -The adventure?
- Yes. So, your last name, It's not "Revel" anymore
But Rossini, Christophe. You're born on 6 November 1982
in Toronto. So from now on you're no longer French,
But Canadian. *I stop doing the subs now because it take 10 mins to sub 1 min in the video, i'll leave the "old" bad translated version of the subs* Its good. Why engage
in the foreign Legion ? I don't want to hang around in the streets anymore
I want to work. I want to work
For the French State, To do an interesting job,
which relates to myself. - Judicial antecedents?
- That is to say ? - Problems with justice?
- Yes. What, when, how? Convocation at the police station. Why ? Fighting. From now on, You do not have the right to contact anyone from outside During the selection period. The selection takes place in Aubagne. Every day, around thirty candidates arrive there. Only four in these thirty
will become legionnaires. One chance in eight, therefore, for Rossini, the new Canadian, or Maynar, the Cameroonian,
are committed. All hope to become a region
and put on the famous white képpi Go to the Master Corporal, down there,
along the wall. Undress. Remove jacket,
trousers, and stay in underwear. Here we go. Socks! They now find themselves with a new name and the same underwear. One two Three. One briefs each. You distribute and give
socks to every one. In the next few days,
many will be eliminated, but, from the start, they must
get into a new skin. Pass the T-shirts.
Same for you there. When you have the T-shirts,
Put the T-shirts on. Each of the tests that will follow
will be eliminate candidates. "This, is the test. We will do an example together. There are 4 answers. Is this that? yes or no? On the first evening, Master Corporal
a Polish, will give them the basics. In silence here! You're laughing or what? In the foreign Legion,
we have everyone: Ex-lawyer, ex-CEO, MIG-25 pilot,
Head of section of the Red Army .. The total ! and even hobos. Everyone had his chance,
He stayed, did his things. It is up to you to show that you deserve to wear your white kepi, And to show it especially with that
- your heart, also your muscles -, Here, what can you do for the glory of the foreign Legion And for our adopted homeland,
France. And, for now,
You will shut your trap. I want total silence. In the foreign Legion,
we only slightly open our trap: When you'll reach at least the corporal rank, with
two or three foreign missions, You'll have enough to chat.
For the moment... "rrrut" You eat when you have to eat,
You sleep when you have to sleep. - Is that clear ?
"Yes, Master Corporal!" It's not clear for everybody.
Is that clear ? Yes, Master Corporal! The only ones that the Legion
does not accept in principle are the perpetrators of blood crimes
and drug traffickers. Change clothes! Come on faster than that! They have one minute
to take a shower and then fifteen minutes
to tidy their room. It's hot, it's speed. We have to
hurry, do the stuff well, If not, then, they shout at us. We are obliged to do well,
to be careful of what we do, Otherwise we'll have to start again,
It's not good at all. Everyone is in the same bath, So we try to help each other
And then ... well Liénart is a former gendarme. He has already experience military life. It's square, it's strict. They need others to motivate them a little bit. "What motivates you?"
- The hierarchy, the military spirit. What is this? There are hairs. Come here you two,
the specialists. What is this filth?
"It goes with my finger, with the nail." It's not a fucking refugee center, here! You're in the barracks. In the Foreign Legion, barracks is our home. Is it like that at your home? Um, what? Go, hardware, and hand. When you do something, You do exactly
As at home. In the army, and above all
at THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE is worse than in a private clinic. Because it our home,
And it will soon be with yours too. Is it clear ? - Yes, Master Corporal.
- Perfect, we'll see that. Here, wake up tomorrow morning at 4:45. So no room for lie-in Quickly, you jump out of bed,
Shaving, "Smick smick smick", beds are made. You clean up the room
And you go out. It's clear ? Nickel chrome. Bedroom ! Rest. Every day, it is a test.
Must pass them. But it's good, it's challenges
to prove to yourself, And also to others,
Of what one is capable. You must be proud to be a legionnaire. I am already proud to have entered,
Therefore, if I am, it is even better. We will see the rest of the program tomorrow. Apart from psycho-technical tests,
I'm not sure I succeeded. So we will see,
We will have the answer tomorrow. "It would piss me to stop after the psychotechnical tests we had today But I believe it will be ok. Tomorrow we attack a new day.
We forget this one and forward! - Good night !
"Good night, Master Corporal!" Do not forget to wake up,
4:45 tomorrow morning. As soon as they get up, they'll discover
which ones among them will not even spend
a second day here. - Maynar!
- Present, Master Corporal. - Rossini!
- Present, Master Corporal. I think it's over. Direction Paris. We go back home. I am pissed off, because, they send us to the quarters and that's all Fuck I'm so pissed off Rossini and Maynar are eliminated. They will be able to apply
next time if they wish. The first day was: How is the brain working? For those who stay
the second day is: how is the body going? Medical tests now.
Next step: sports tests. But still as confident as in the beginning. No problem.
200% motivated. Never had a problem at knees or ankles? No drugs?
You smoke or not? Not at all. Swallow the saliva. A priori, is he fit for you? A priori, he is fit.
No special problems. He is in good shape,
he is quite athletic, So it should go very well for him. At the medical level, there's no problem. Forty-five seconds. First Physical Test: Running faster and faster
on a 20 meters track Those who do not arrive
before the beep of the loudspeaker lose points. Lim, the best, is American.
He comes from San Diego, California. One of the Essential Tests
for the Legion: motivational interviews. It's Lim's turn to go
before the chief of this selection. Lieutenant Bral, Polish,
in the Legion for seventeen years. The second interview,
this time, with a psychologist. Now, Lieutenant. Hide me your glasses,
This civil way of wearing them. You put in the pocket
Or you put on your eyes. On my eyes. And not Pink Floyd.
Here, sit down. What do you like here? The military hierarchy. And what don't you like here? - Nothing.
- There must be something you don't like Maybe the candidates a little lax. Why you come to the foreign Legion ? To return to military life And why not perform missions abroad Why do you want to do missions? I do not want to hide,
It's also for money, But also wanderlust Do you have
A question to ask me? No, Lieutenant. - You can leave.
- Thank you, Lieutenant. In your opinion, what would be your main weaknesses? What would you like
Improve, modify if you could? Sometimes I'm reproached
of being authoritarian, Which can be a quality for here,
But outside I am reproached. That is, authoritarian?
Too frank? Too direct? Yeah, I do not necessarily lick my words.
But I say what I think at least It prevents innuendoes or misunderstandings. Otherwise a little ... I will not say obsessive,
But very organized. It shows. - Really ?
- Yes. - I dunno.
- A very conscientious character, So your meticulous, picky side shows up. You see ? I do not invent. There is maybe even something obsessive,
obsessive cleaner or other I got better. When you're in a group,
How is it usually? - I am very sociable.
- How about the leader? Follower? Listening, or a little set back, reserved? No, never in reserve,
More often forward, in fact. If I know the domain,
I put forward what I know So that others
can benefit from it. After two weeks of observation, interviews and surveys
on the past of these candidates, Recruitment officers
will decide who they will keep. Each year, the Legion must recruit
more than a thousand men. The meeting must remain secret. Silence!
Ongoing Commission In a few minutes, Lieutenant Bral
will announce the results. Fuck ! Do not take your initiative.
I said, "Repeat." Do not laugh. Do not laugh. Do not laugh. Why are you laughing ? Master Corporal Ordon is here to make sure everything is perfect There's nothing funny about it, boy. Present? Present! My ! Lieutenant! Rest for everyone. What's that?
Shaven or not? What, yes? What is that? A legionnaire is closely shaven.
Only the pioneers wear the beard. For the moment,
You are far from being pioneers. So your faces are nickel chrome. The clear eyes, well shaved face, You are clean, impeccable,
Like all the legionnaires. So, this is the last time. That I make remarks,
And that I'm forced to check, Like for children. You are big boys,
You know what to do. Rest. Start to think about When the Lieutenant will announce the results of the guys who will be selected: Are you able to
5 years with honor and fidelity? Come on, you have five minutes. - This is the big day.
- So ? Are you confident? At best, we try. One should not start defeatist. - Just a few more minutes.
- Ready for section! Commission results. Come on, here, papa, wake up!
What did we say earlier? You have understood nothing!
Put yourself on your guard! Here we are! Action! Side by side
Come on attention! Come on, attention!
Raise the head. Come on, stick! - Now, my lieutenant.
- Action ! to the right, those selected. Among them, Lim, the Californian. To the left, rejected candidates.
Among them, Lienart. I will be back, there's no worry. Are you disappointed? No, I was expecting it a little. I'm not a fucking scoutmaster. I'm a Master Corporal at the foreign Legion. I give the orders. You are soldiers,
You execute. I'm here, and I'm not letting go
to the regiment, Where my brothers in arms are in action, Someone who does not give a fuck
about the Legion and of France. You'll see how quickly
I'll find the specialists. You pick all the mattresses, I need them and the covers folded with care. Forward! Move, move! Now you're going to run!
I already told you. Come on! Head of the Chamber! Look here, trace of shoe polish!
Fucking activate yourself! Take care of your fucking business,
And these are your men, come on! The Foreign Legion was created
almost two centuries ago. The memory, tradition, ritual. New recruits will receive their
commitment letter in the museum of Aubagne. Second section, assembled
For the award of contracts, in full, To your orders, Lieutenant! Section, rest. - Volunteer Lim.
- Now, my lieutenant. - Volunteer Jakow.
- Now, my lieutenant. ... listen to me. You can become a Legionnaire. A legionnaire is not stupid,
he is intelligent. Second. The legionnaire is physical:
He runs, he does pull-ups, He climbs the rope, he is strong. Three: the Legionnaire
Is a good comrade. Right here, We remember Of the legionaries who died in battle. Thirty-six thousand dead
since its creation in 1831. In 181 years of existence, the Legion has been of all wars, of the biggest battles: Sevastopol, Narvik,
Dien Bien Phu, Kolwezi. In 1863, in Mexico,
at the Cameron siege, 65 Legionnaires confronted
2,000 Mexican soldiers. The last five valid legionnaires
agreed to surrender provided they were able to treat their wounded and to retain their weapons. The legend was born: The Legion never abandons its men. This Elite troop,
strong of 7,600 men is able to intervene at any moment
in the hot spots of the planet. There was Chad, Lebanon, Yugoslavia and,
from 2001, Afghanistan. Afghanistan
Uzbin Valley, 60 km from Kabul The base of Tora,
a FOB or Forward Operating Base The French have installed it
in an old Russian fort which controls the valley of Uzbin. The Taliban take this valley
to go from Pakistan to Kabul. For them, it is the strategic road in their struggle
against the power in place and against allied forces
who support it. It's at Sper Kunday,
a few miles from here, that on August 18, 2008,
ten French soldiers were killed by the insurgents. The day before our arrival,
Four other soldiers died. I wanted to make this little ceremony
Which will end with a minute's silence In memory of the four French
Who deceased yesterday, Including three who are deceased
In Kapissa, Due to inclement weather. One of Red 30's VABs fell In a ditch, at the level of the gorges. The front-armed vehicle
Fell by 5 m, And Corporal Chechulin
Shooter on the back of the VAB, died in the accident. In place. Guard you! To the dead! Since 2001 and the arrival of the French troops, 40 soldiers died in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a rough land. Apart from the armies of Genghis Khan, no foreigner has been able to subdue these proud and fierce tribes. The legionnaires of the foreign cavalry regiment of Orange. Warrant Officer Reiser
and Sergeant Sahraoui. In two days,
they will be among the 800 men who will carry out a major operation
to the village of Sper Kunday. We are coming for tomorrow's mission.
Today we make a small shot. Weapons are checked. It allows us not to lose the hand
If ever we leave the gap for a long time. Lie down here. No one is there. Get your shot. Fire! Well seen. For all 43,
Announce as soon as ready. The Legion is not for the weak.
that's for sure. There is no place for the weak here. Warrant Officer Reiser leads
a 30-man combat section. Seventeen different nationalities. The first armed time is done. End of shooting, we are serene,
We can leave in two days. We know we can support someone.
Everyone will be clear. All weapons are set,
There will be no problem. Operation starts at night. The strategy of the General Staff: transporting, by helicopter,
the legionnaires on the crests, who can secure
the advance of troops on the ground and also prevent the escape of insurgents. It's also at night
that the troops prepare the entry into action
of observation drones, These small radio controlled airplanes fitted with very powerful thermal cameras. These drones are effective
by night and by day. They will monitor
the place of operations about twenty kilometers away from their base. Each of these drones
costs more than one million euros. This one will fly over the track
to Sper Kunday and broadcast live
the images it films. Within 4 hours, another will relay it. In the light of early morning, on the ground we move forward
with Warrant Officer Reiser and Sergeant Sahraoui. "Is there a risk of an attack this morning?"
- Yes. The possibility exists.
The danger is everywhere. The peasant who makes his life or the nomad Can turn into redoutable insurgents who shoot. Afterwards, they hide with the armament. Afghan intelligence services
Are mistrusting these people a lot. They say it's like that,
They carry everything. Look at the terrain:
A propitious place for an ambush. For us it is not good;
For them, it's ideal. That's the ideal. All Coalition Soldiers
know images
of the propaganda of the insurgents, from artisanal production of mines to attacks. Under each meter of track, there may be an explosive
ready to explode, like this one, filmed from an American armored vehicle. The Reiser section moves forward with caution. We are on the front line. Have you ever killed insurgents? Pleasure,
It is not to kill insurgents. Pleasure,
Is to do its job properly. His duty. "Is that what the region tells you?"
- Yes. Without passion or hatred. And we respect the defeated enemy. Section takes position on the zone where it must install
its 20 mm guns to protect the troops that follow. Before us, the dismantlers. When removers
clarified the passage, Vehicles advance again. Now we go up here,
Because we are the only ones ‡ be able to treat these hills
With the 20 mm gun. We are about ‡ 1 km
of the village of Sper Kunday. Warrant Officer Reiser is on the lookout. The first risk was the ambush. • Mining, FDI,
We went there afterwards. Now the risk,
It is infiltrations of insurgents Who would be there to harass us, And we would leave. In these rocks,
If the guys are already in place, Impossible to see.
The only way is they shoot. Pebbles, faults, rocks Give good possibilities
To infiltrate. An individual spotted,
Which unveiled on the line of crest And hid behind a rock, In 78-340. The bearded manure! Do not touch the guns. - Are you ready to open fire?
- Loans. Always ready. Even with the cap. If one takes part,
One pulls, and flies away. At the same time,
15 km back, the command post of Tora. Individuals in exfiltration
To the west, from Sper Kunday, Have been joined
By two other individuals. It is possible that they are people
Which specify our device. Faced with our action,
They are seeing What volume of force one has,
Until the crests are held. "May very well be people
Who go into the fields, Because it is the hour
To go to work. And then there may be people
Which go downhill ‡ Surobi, in the city. Colonel Durieux, patron
of the 2nd Infantry Regiment. He directs the French forces throughout the valley. He has a nickname: the Brain. Throughout the operation,
Colonel Durieux is accompanied by an Afghan colonel, because all the French
undertake is made in consultation
with the Afghan National Army. On the ground, two guns
with a range of 40 km, ready to touch groupings
insurgents in the village. Two gazelles,
reconnaissance helicopters, will verify the operations of the drones. Colonel Durieux
wants to reassure the population and show that they can count
on the French military. He will therefore organize a shura, Traditional Assembly
of the notables of the village, to reach out to them. To display its peaceful intentions, the colonel separates
of his bullet-proof vest. The village chief is called the «Malek». I am very happy to see him. As in any choura, it is by a prayer
to start. And it is the Afghan colonel
that will lead it. Gentlemen big white beards
And the guests, be welcome. You all know that last year, Y'a had an important fight,
Where ten French soldiers died. I know the people of Sper Kunday did not participate in the attack
against the french soldiers. When we are attacked, we retaliate,
but otherwise, I'm very careful, so that we use weapons to an absolute minimum. And it must be said
‡ those who take up arms That the time has come
To leave arms. We are ready to talk
with anybody. My mission is to help the Afghan army and to do
That there should be no war here. Of these men, it is certain
that there are Taliban. There are still many
in the villages, but all do not display
their rallying to the insurgents. A noise in the sky:
observation gazelles. No doubt the drone has spotted
Something suspicious. Uncut information
Was given on the presence of insurgents On the other side of the crest line. One prefers to put them in flight
And confirm the information, To see if there is a grouping
On the other side of the crest line. Beyond Showing the Strength of Allies and occupy the ground, the Afghan authorities
wanted to search a few houses that could serve as weapons caches. I told Captain Lenis,
To the head of the ANP, To come here and talk to each other
With you and quiet. Finally,
I spoke with the colonel. I think today,
Nothing should be searched at all, Because we made all the shura
on the subject : "You are the gentiles,
The wicked are on the other side, "We trust you." So we do not care
5 or 6 mortar shells. "You want to cancel the excavations?"
- Yes. Have you noticed anything? No, apart from the few movements
On the crest line, But can not confirm
That it is hostile. The peace building strategy
of Colonel Durieux, is also to distribute
some gifts: covers
and kites for children. Dragon, here panther, speak. Panther, here dragon, speak. The gazelles were taken in part
By heavy weapon. Request authorization
Mortar fire at this position. It's outside
The circus of Sper Kunday, correct? Affirmative.
The pole is located in another circus. They have the exact position? I am in the process of precise
The exact position via the 3rd dimension. Well received. Confirm the information.
If we have the exact position, Granted. Panther, here dragon, reÁu. Allow a shot like Áa,
Is it always a heavy decision? Oh yes. Yes, because there is a military aspect
But also political in the area. There is an aspect of collateral damage,
So you have to be very careful. L ‡, it is on a line of crest,
So nobody lives there. We have just been shot, So we know
That it is an enemy position. And it is outside
Of the area of interest here. So, Áa is not going ... carry... "A does not enter the dialogue
That I have here With this population of Sper Kunday. Give a hand
For more reconciliation And at the same time be firm,
Is that your philosophy? The drone located the starting point
firing on helicopters. Tora, 15 km back, the guns have been set. Second. It's effective, yes. Nothing should go unpunished. Their 155mm radioguided shells
leave no chance of survival on the surface of a football field. For the 3rd Riva *, this one. Mission accomplished. We are from the Region So far from our countries Towards the front we will walk To defeat the enemy A few hours later,
insurgents reacted. They are a lot,
These sons of whores! We will then learn
they lost two men, including a commander,
during the bombardment of their position. Their target for this reaction:
COP Rocco, ‡ 10 km from Sper Kunday. A COP is an advanced combat post. It is surrounded by villages
regarded as enemies. 250 members hold this position
surrounded by the insurgents. This morning, the harassment continues. Put me on the network. Lieutenant François
ensures the command of the guard. We heard explosions
At the position of OP1. 500 m in this direction,
On the other side of the crest line. For the moment,
We do not know what it is. We will see. But, in case we hold ourselves ready
On the defense of the COP. For the 4,000 French soldiers
stationed in Afghanistan, danger, these are the chicoms, Chinese rockets
that can be launched with handmade tubes
and very mobile, but not very precise. Message. Message from Tango 2: He saw a staff, a pedestrian,
Distance 200-300 m, No weapon, but telephoning. Have identified a staff ‡ 450 m West of Tango Unit. Learn to shoot. - Battle station ‡ right.
- Look at the white pebble. Yes, visual, I see it. It is ‡, ‡ 150 m. Again, visual, it is remounted
On the plateau and runs north. Start of blow. For the Greens 99, A priori, start of blow,
Hold the observation. Those who are at the top,
You will not return to the Famas. Canon of 20. Fuck, the sons of whores! The shots leave, but they can not be seen. Second start. Get inside. Go inside. We undergo shooting of 82 mm,
Mortar of 82, Therefore, they are in the process of settling,
they... "Is approaching. All staff
Who are not in the bunkers Are in the VAB, received? The insurgents are in the process
to adjust their fire. Once again a shot,
It comes from northeast. "Comes from the top." "Comes from the northeast,
It looks like it's behind ... Attention, if Áa falls ‡,
It is not even worth it, no more vision. Is there a shot of mortar ready? Permission was granted to fire fumigants. Pulling smoke bombs
To prevent them from observing and regulating. Get out! It's an automatic. - Who is it for ?
- Charge ! ¿Charge 5! Its good. Fire! It is Verdun,
It is a battle of artillerymen. It is trying to spot the observer,
The departs of blows, And shoot the beating starts. We put the foot soldier in the shelter. Shells to create a smoke screen to prevent an invisible enemy
to see them. That day, the insurgents
did not manage to touch COP Rocco. Ferme du Cuin
Near Castelnaudary Two three... The candidates from the region
that had been selected in Aubagne arrived in Castelnaudary. Among them, Lim. In this training center,
the selection will continue. You chose
To come to the FOREIGN LAND. Congratulations.
It's a man's choice. You start today
Which will last four months And who will make you legionaries. The legionnaire is an Elite soldier. To train and instruct him,
It takes time and a lot of work. For now, very few are able
to understand orders in French. First test:
their endurance. Must be a little hard with yourself
And with everyone else too. Here, people have no pity. One can not remain soft, weak,
Or show its weaknesses to others. Must be a hard one. Must think sometimes on your own And spitting blood
To be a good legionnaire. There is the framework that is l ‡
To reframe these young people, To get on well
In the atmosphere. And if they do not have enough
Of mental, We will help them push themselves,
‡ go further. It is Áa that is important:
Always go further. This is the future of the foreign Legion. It's not tourists on vacation. We're going to turn around,
We will retrieve here. HEY ! Tighten! Hang up.
Put yourself in my stride, we go! One does not accelerate, one keeps the cadence. Stop making your victim. Ah, to eat, there's no worry! Shut your mouth ! At the end of their training,
in four months, to become legionnaires, will need to know
at least 500 words from French. ... are not aligned. For five weeks they will live
in autarky on this farm, without any contact with the outside. One concern:
become warriors. You are twenty years old.
The other hand! Hands like Áa. Hurry up! Come on, quickly. Come on, stop. Natural selection :
There is no room for the weak. You do not stop! Drop it! Start! Grenada! That's good, shoot! Shoot, shoot! Jumped up! After fifteen days of tests,
Lim follows the rhythm, but it has some worries
with his hands. Some also with the French. So, today, you snatched it? It's good, it's not much, is it? On what obstacle did you have this problem? What did you do? Ramping? Where did you snatch Áa? Downstairs upstairs ... - Over the jump?
- Yes, sergeant. And before, Lim,
You were never in the army, were you? Pardon, I have not ... I did not understand. - You did not understand ?
- I did not understand. "Has it hurt?"
- Small. If you're going to work
Today afternoon, Put the gloves on. You can have it. I can have it, Sergeant. Vafaina is Malagasy, he is twenty years old,
and like the others, learns one of the first rules
of the Region: solidarity. Should it be ranked how? It is necessary that if he looks from this side,
There is nothing beyond that. Everyone is afraid, because
If someone has not done it right, everybody
Takes the cold shower out. So we're a bit stressed out there. - Are you happy to be here?
- Yes. Why ? I love the region. As I had been told since,
I too would like to be part of it. But is it a bit difficult? Yes, it's a bit difficult,
But everyone has gone there, So we must also
To be a legionnaire. Everything must be tidy,
Everything must be the same. Must be square, tidy. Still not good. Charged Chief Sergeant
of this learning is called Cho. They did not fold. </ P> <p> It's not the same. Everywhere well-aligned heaps. Gather your sections down. Indeed, the sanction does not wait. To arrange a few socks,
Some t-shirts, Some pants and a few jackets, The result is not good. - Okay ?
- Yes sir. In position ! Action, there! Up ! Below ! - Tired?
- No, Chief. at the end of the second week,
little blow of blues for a Belorussian candidate
who wants to leave. Voluntary Engagement Kastrov,
2nd company. Gives the contract of engagement. Contract of engagement. Did not find what you were looking for?
This is normal, nothing has been done yet. Okay ? So you'll find,
do not worry. No problem. Waiting,
You signed a five-year contract, Therefore, as you are a guy of honor,
Not a kid, you're 28, You have a military past, Therefore the military life,
You touched it with your finger, And for me, you have committed
To make a military career. So you're a sensible guy,
The two feet on earth, And what you came to seek,
You'll find him, we'll give him to you. In any case, nobody
Before the end of the investigation, For the simple reason
That he came, he pledged himself, It is a volunteer,
So it follows the instruction correctly. "A will leave him the time largely
To know what awaits him after. Take your contract and you can dispose of it. Take your contract. It's up to you. Beret on the head. In fact, the candidate Biëlorusse can join civilian life
when it wants. The Blues Strike
many of the trainee apprentices. All of a sudden,
the approach of winter worries them. They want to leave
Only because of the cold. They have a good physique
- mentally, I do not know - But the physical, they are good,
And they want to leave. You miss a bit of mental
at the moment ? Here, I miss a little bit
Of mind, me, right now. A lot of ... «made 2, 3 days
That I think a lot from. On this day, an 8 km walk
with 15 kg bags Vafaina, the Malagasy,
had never seen the snow. Not too complicated
To walk in the snow? Like us, there's mud. It's a bit like mud,
Except that the mud, Áa sticks. "It does not stick, but it slips. My gloves are full of snow,
My hand is frozen. After that, we'll make nodes. I do not know how to get there,
But I'm going to get excited. I am a warrior, Because there are a lot of tricks
Not seen in civilian clothes We try to resist,
While the force is not too l ‡, But we must resist. Give your Famas to the comrade. Put your arms, there you are. The other arm. - Do you know how to swim ?
- Yes, sergeant. - The men begin to harden?
- Yes, it's part of the training. His Famas! Is it a hard training? No, it's more mental than physical. Some hold fast,
Others who ... But what matters is willingness. Men are marked. Get off! Snow has given them a moral boost. Bag of bones ! It's cold and tired too
Which are beginning to do. And then, morally,
When one moves away from friends, family, We think,
We would like to make a phone call, But we wait. ¿The Region, there are things
That you have no right to do? - Yes.
- What for example ? When one commits, one has no right
To marry for five years. No car for five years. Cellphone,
Just at the end of the instruction. And every thing we want to do,
Must ask permission from our chiefs Or above us, to the captain. Here. Is it a bit heavy sometimes? For the moment. We have not tested yet. But we knew the conditions
Before returning to the region. Isolated from the world, having the right
has no initiative, learning another life. The farm is a little back
To the life of before To take away our civilian life. Like Áa, you can break up in some places
Where you will find yourself in difficulty You'll be able to get excited every time.
This is Áa. In civilian life, you are used to
Eating every time. In the farm, there will not be any Áa:
Chocolate, coca. If one day you go into war,
There will not be Áa during the shots. You are willing to risk your life
For the region? Yeah. Why then ? Because I got involved.
I want to change my life. I have already adjusted my head. Whatever happens, I will resist. If it successfully integrates, Vafaina could go to Afghanistan
in a year to discover the war. COP Rocco
Advanced Combat Station New alert to COP Rocco:
is a second attack in 3 days. Harassment. He passed over you? Yes, I was in the showers,
I heard "til", after it passed. I thought it was a mortar fire,
But it is a Chicom. We will leave. We go to the armor.
There's still mortar fire. There are mortars there. Sergeant Slavo,
Polish, fervent Catholic, specialist in mortar fire
with his group. "Can you see what's going on?"
- Yes, I see where they fall. For additional adjustments. I think they'll be calmed down,
Because it is the second time in 3 days And there, we retorted the artillery
right now. Puree was sent
With heavy mortars. We call Áa a "shell-type vacuum cleaner"
In tactics. It is a high, dominant position,
From which one sees very well, And that the artillery
Very easily at all times. So here is.
Here we hear aircraft. How to find out if there are injuries,
Of the dead on the other side? It's just an air reconnaissance
Who can tell us, Because there, it is quite far, 5 km. After several mortar fire, the men of Slavo
have succeeded in silencing the insurgents. We tried to deal with the objective. We do not know, for the time being,
If there are wounds or deaths, Did not they kill anyone? I ask for authorization
To shoot 2 shots explo On the same elements
Than just now. Green ! Here Griffon! You have no comments
On the request for fire. Correct? It's just a harassment. Correct? Affirmative. It's to Avoid
They come back for observation. Green ! Here Griffon! Griffin! Here Green! Speak. Green ! Here Griffon.
Shot requested. Refuse. Speak. Green, reÁu. Completed. It's sometimes not easy
To impose its point of view? I'm not here
To impose my point of view. I report
Of the different tactical possibilities, After which the leader makes his choice. at the end of the night, Captain Guillaume meets
officers and non-commissioned officers. Tonight, there is still a strong threat
Attack on the COP. Watch out for lost balls. Do not frog on the COP
When Áa shoots at the COP. Put yourself under armor,
Hang out, wait for orders. OK ? "Has no use
To take a beating on the COP, When we were not in a position
Fighting shooting. I think now
Retaliated massively. It's good. Now, touch. As long as we do not hurt
To one or two insurgent leaders, And that we will not have
Some at the carpet, The bullshit will continue on the COP. In three days of harassment, only a rocket
touched the camp wall. No injuries. 48 hours later,
the Afghan and French Commands have decided to intervene
in the villages surrounding the COP. When attacking, insurgents, often foreigners
from Pakistan, shelter behind the population, to try to prevent
The Allies' Response. Hosaynkhel, the first village,
is 2 km away. On foot, the infantry of the region
and the Afghan soldiers are approaching it. The village is located
below the valley. This is the ‡
that the last shots started. The first step
Captain Vincent: greet the malek, the village chief. He has the reputation
to play a double game. I will start a small shura
With malek and white beards In the house of the malek. Lieutenant Ponticelli,
to save time, We'll get down
The vehicle of Gaulois UnitÈ, We have to get back the guys, because there is
Children and women. So you push them back. Let's stay along
Of this movement of ground. Women
are always kept apart. Afghans do not tolerate the idea
that men can look at them. It is believed that security
Degrades in the area. There was an attack in the evening
On the disembarked elements. There was an attack on the COP
With shots from Chicom and RPG. The day before yesterday, there were 13 mortar shells
Who fell on the ANA posts, In the vicinity of the COP. Finally, this morning, There were still shots
Who left, And there are ten men on foot
Which have been walking
At the height of Kabratu. I was told there were insurgents
In Kabratu, but I did not see them. The ANA respects people,
Do not dig houses. Now must not lie. The captain of the ANA
Had been very clear. He said : "If next time, people
Pull us from the houses, "The houses will be destroyed." Okay ? So do not lie to us. We know that people play
And welcome insurgents. This becomes a real problem for us. They can be seen preparing their operations
nearby. We, the maleks,
Have no power. A round-the-clock discussion. All around the village, men
Captain Vincent are ready to act. Nothing Differences
an insurgent of a peaceful inhabitant. Until now, we have had
Good relations with the population. But it is certain: at the last attack,
They went through this village. He may be hostile from time to time
If insurgents come into the area. If there is not, the population
Will not shoot us like that. Suddenly, shots. Gusts to the east, there. The home PAX,
Get away from the device. We only keep the necessary PAX To security
Of the distribution area. Bursts heard to the west. Oscar. I ask ‡ 23-21
To be very attentive on observation. How long do you need to give it out? Ten minutes, a quarter of an hour. They'll distribute some gifts:
Shovels, picks and rakes. Take into account the malek with Farid,
That it does not lose itself in the ... The atmosphere is special here? No, be careful,
Because there are a lot of people. Afghan police top
Checking by checkpoints. The ANA, which is in the talweg,
Can also control. The risk, like y'a of the world,
Must not be suicide-bombers. This village looks
Acquired to the insurgents for the moment? It's hard to say. In all villages, a part of the population
Is favorable to the insurgents, A part is favorable to the force, And a large part
Is fluctuating, we will say. This party rallies
Or who best defends his / her interests. You think this kind of gesture
Is useful or somewhat illusory? It is useful to do so, Because it allows us
To have contact with the population, Who sees that we are not only there
For armed actions. For the French General Staff,
it is important to occupy the ground, to finance projects
and gain the support of the villagers. But it is still difficult
to imagine that these bags of cement can return a population, not ready to collaborate
with the occupants. The next day,
Departure for the second village. Objective: show power
and the muscles of the coalition. Do not let the population the impression that the insurgents
do what they want. Rodbar is located 5 km to the north
COP Rocco, in the bottom of the valley. To protect the progress of the column,
Sergeant Slavo installs these mortars. That's 5572. The Afghan military
are in the first line. They are a few hundred meters
of Rodbar. The French captain
wants to organize a shura, a meeting
with local officials, and meet the villagers. Affirmative. Since earlier,
They are observed. I put the T under surveillance
Facing their direction. * We await the arrival of the maleks
To start the shura. There is a risk
To be attacked by the insurgents? A priori, thanks to a listening,
We know that they are preparing And retrieve ammunition
And rockets to attack us. We wait. "Are you afraid?"
- No. You do not know fear
in the Legion? sure we do, everyone feels it sometimes,
But we must know how to master it. Sergeant Slavo learns by radio a man has been observed
on the crest line. I can not see it, this Mongolian. - Do you see it ?
- Oh yes, it moves. On the crest line squarely. Insurgents in this region. Their goal is to ambush us there so we can't go back They do not want to let us go.
They want us to stay here. Enemies. I think they're going to attack us.
It's possible. There is movement in every direction. PAX is seen in all directions,
North, northwest, northeast. They move by 6, by 5. The legionnaires, with their interpreter
hidden behind a scarf, try to get information. Are there Taliban around here? No, there are no Taliban Yesterday, there were. Last night. They left last night. Over there ? Come on, I'll show you. Over there. Behind the great tree. What are we doing ? Shots,
the explosion of a mortar: the insurgents attack. Turn face this way. Lay down here. Hold on ! not this way, they're shooting. This smoke? An insurgent rocket, wich fell next to the Afghan soldiers. Get back! The Role of Slavo's Men:
neutralize the rocket launcher. - How many shells are there?
- Two here. Five. Prepare another five shells. Shelter, Kurva, nobody here! Come on, back! You're in charge of the shooting, stay there! Prepare six shots! More ! Get the stuff from their vehicle! Shelter! Take cover now. The Men of Slavo
are now targeted by these shots coming from the crest on their right. Shelter, the others!
Come on, fire! Second shot, as soon as.
Fire! Second blow. Get down! All of you. Visual: 100 m, right, higher
On the line of crest, shots fired. Where they shoots, there. Where there's the big smoke. Where they are shooting now! Prepare six! Clean and collect all loads,
The empty shells. Come on, quick. Clean the area. You never know
At what time we're gonna hang up. Come on, clean up zone! Scratch the tubes! The mortars were pulled out a little,
Heavy weapons were fired. Now helicopters arrive. "The helicopters are the Tigers?"
- Yes. "Is it kind of a relief to get to shoot a little bit at ennemies? They shoot us,
We shoot them back, that's all. An order arrives: you have to go back. "Here, the binoculars of our house."
- Nickel. You see the crest line? From there,
Someone shot them. You make the cover
From there, for us, in case. No problem. Get in vehicles Come on, don't leave anything! Let's move ! Welcome to Afghanistan. The legionnaires are on the lookout Often they get attacked
on the way back. The Insurgent Strategy
is as old as the world: it is at the time of the fall
ambushes are effective. The insurgents attack
once again, 1 km from COP Rocco. Slavo took responsabilities to shoot
the heavy machine gun of his vehicle. There were two of them in total. More to the right! In the rocks! STOP FIRE ! The helicopter goes by! The arrival of the dreaded
helicopters Tigers always has an immediate effect. The Taliban rebels
become invisible. There, there's someone behind there. There's a head out. Watch out for it. Theses f*ck*rs may attack from back there. You think it's over? It's not sure. We may get shot at again from the North. "what do you feel..."
Do you have adrenaline rushes? Of course it rises, adrenaline.
For everyone. Why ? As you hear it brushed next to your ears
The adrenaline rises. Are you afraid of dying? No, I believe in God,
I'm not afraid of dying. In a few weeks,
this will be new shift for Sergeant Slavo. He and his men will remain
seven months in Afghanistan, the average duration
of stay of French soldiers. Its regiment will be replaced
by the 2nd REP, another Elite Regiment of the Legion. Prepare for the dust! Here, there is pudding Here's some pudding Voluntary Commitments
have left the farm to celebrate Christmas
at the Castelnaudary barracks. Within a few hours,
will return to the snow. They are two weeks away
of the end of their training, the two most challenging weeks. But tonight,
The captain will hand out the gifts. This is the family meeting. This is their first Christmas present:
With us is a kepi, Because soon they will receive
Their white kepi, obviously. And it is a lamp:
We must always know/see where we are going, Now that we are in the Legion. Kurva, you're taller than me! Well, Vafaina, merry Christmas. Vafaina and Lim are still part of the family. Wake up, the boys.
It's not over ! Snow is not the end of the world! Section, rest! AT the farm, things are going badly
for two of the men. Second section, guard you!
Rest! Attention! HEY ! Guys ! You will stop
To break our feet With your relational stories,
both, The two world champions. Boxers, come here! You're not even fucking being dressed! The two offenders:
Lim and a New Zealander. Here we have what?
Two world champions. There, two assholes, Who did not understand
That if they tap on the mouth, They do not hit the enemy. OK ‡. So, that, I don't wan't to get any more of this in the section Lim, tell me the code of honor. Legionnaire, You are a volunteer serving France
With honor and faithfulness. Each member
Is your brother in arms. Stop! Repeat ! Each member
Is your brother in arms. You understood ? Yes, my lieutenant. Say again ! Everyone understood ? Yes, my lieutenant. Now, we'll attach them
Both of them as two brothers. "Will last the time it takes,
Until you understand. You dumbass! Go see the chief,
He'll take care of you. Go and see the chef right away! You're dying there. Hop! Take that. You will learn to love each other. "Will be more constructive
Than to punch each others. Did you understand? Yes, my lieutenant. - And you ?
- Yes, my lieutenant. Let go! There was an altercation between the two
this morning. The reason I do not know,
it does not interest me. What interests me,
Is that they understood well We are all going in the same direction. If for them it is not clear,
After punishment, it will become so. And here it is, go,
Rhythm, rhythm! I have to take care of everybody.
They will not stand to dry. The two, you give them
A special mission And you put a corporal with it. You replace Saliban. Mission for you:
Monitor the two attached binomes. They shovel off the stairs.
You stay with them! ¿The Legion, there is no fight. He is a friend.understood, gringo? Why do you stop? Who said to stop? Forward! One knee!
He's cold there. "Is not that a bit of a bully?"
- Not at all. A bullying ...
We did not put a bullet on them, They were not dressed
In maiden dress. Just that they understand
That we all go in the same direction. Even if we have altercations,
We just get over it And the mission is fulfilled. Nor can we
Get along with everyone, But there are ways
To solve the problems. It is well known that the legionnaire
Is a little brawler, It is his state of mind, But must not go wrong. Virtually 48 hours
they are outside, in snow and blizzard. Fatigue helping,
the first defects appear. Why are you crying ? What is happening ? "Has it hurt?" Explain to me !
What is happening ? It's not frozen. I can't feel my hands "Does it hurt?" Come on, Romanuc. He can walk! Stop crying! He ate this morning?
Who is the corporal of the day? What is the corporal of the day? A beautiful snow storm: impossible to evacuate Romanuc
to the hospital. Chief Sergeant Cho is not a nurse, but it is used
to look after the sick. Yeah, it's good, calm down! Stop crying! It's not a problem.
Calm down ! It's okay, it's okay. You're fine Open your eyes ! Here, open your eyes, look at me! It is not serious. Doctor
Will give you medicines, And then, you're gonna do
The white Kepi walk. Yes, white képi then. PLS, unconscious. Turone, PLS, unconscious. A PLS,
the lateral safety position: is the posture they make
to someone in bad shape. Another man is hurt And Cho will once more act as a nurse. So, are you comfortable? - Hey?
- Yes sir. Open your eyes. No, the eyes, there.
Do not close your eyes, okay? Remains like this.
Are you cold? Cold? Did you eat this morning? - Can you walk?
- No. Do you feel your legs? - It hurts.
- It hurts? Okay. That's alright/ Gently, there. If you see comrades
Which are not going well, You say: Master Corporal, Corporal,
Comrade, like this, like that. OK ? Do not let the comrades.
Afterwards, it's too late. Understood? - Do you understand that?
- Yes, Master Corporal. It is over, the civil minds,
We made a stroke of adjustment, And forward, dai dai,
It's like this, guys. OK ? Life is not easy. You have chosen a very nice job,
But very difficult too. We have to keep going, guys.
You will not regret it. Anyway, in life,
Must have no regrets. You must never regret anything. Must live at 200 an hour,
To 200%. Both woundeds have very little time
to recover before the white Kepi walk. If they do not succeed,
they will never be legionnaires. You tell me when it's good. He can not eat on his own,
Therefore must be helped. I am pleased to do so. As if it was my duty to do so. "Has, on the other hand, it hurts to the hands,
But he still eats so much. The snow keeps falling. In the early morning, the thick layer
prohibits any automobile travel. Yet, a physician from the region,
joined by phone, recommended bringing the wounded. "Has progressed well. Continue. Now there are three wounded. The last one slipped into this staircase. Romanuc and his two comrades
are evacuated to the hospital. Five days later,
The great moment has arrived: the white Kepi walk. Not too fit,
But I will get there. You have to clench your teeth, move forward. Until the end. I remember you
The importance this hike. One who does not get to the end
Does not have its white képpi. In the groups,
There are some that are more or less in shape, They must be helped. I count on you
So that it goes well And that everyone comes to the end. For now, they are all
that voluntary commitments. If they manage to cover 60 km
with their 20 kg bag on the back, they will get their white kepi. They will be legionnaires. From the first kilometer,
Vafaina is suffering. He is sick. Lets' go. What is happening ? * Come on, we go ahead,
to the top. Come on, put on your bag. Can you walk or not? Without your bag. No, Corporal. Can not you breathe?
Calm down. The nose is clogged? The nose,is dead, corporal. But the weight ... Share his bag.
He comes behind me. Me, I advance as for everyone,
you understood ? You're with your weapon.
We advance, comrade. Give him his gun, come on! Take your gun. Nobody's gonna carry you, Vafaina,
you understood ? - Yes, sergeant.
- No one's going to carry you. If you can not carry your bag,
Your weapon, you have nothing to do here. Yes, sergeant. We're not gonna carry you. Do not think we're gonna carry you
For 60 km. If you want a kepi,
You will walk 60 km. Nobody's gonna lift you. If you are not able to carry your bag
Nor your weapon, you will see! That's good, comrade.
Stop this anxiety. Lift the head, you have balls,
You're a man, you walk! Solidarity, cohesion, in turn, the others take charge
of the 20 kg of Vafaina bag. Lift the head, we go.
Forward, we must move forward. Course not, comrade! Walk! Otherwise in a few minutes,
We'll have to carry your bag too. Change, the bag. Forward. - Can you walk like Áa 60 km?
- Yes, sergeant. Can you or can not you walk? Want to walk like Áa 60 km? I'll try, Sergeant. Put yourself in column! Forward! Come on, comrade, we're going. A little less sick,
Vafaina wanted to take his bag again. Right, right! Breathe, breathe! ... listen, you got here,
it's good. Breathe! It has already happened so far,
it is very good. We'll do what we can
To take him to the end. Help him to put his Famas. And Vafaina, in front! Put your beast on the head. Move forward. Give him a hand.
Change the bag. Its good ? No, sergeant. Wake up, look at me.
What do you feel? Where is the problem? Right here. I see it all like that. Craft. Come on, we're embarking. Come on, we're embarking. Recover the bags, we go.
We'll take him on board. Is it over with him? He will embark and join us
At the refueling point We'll see how it happens. He is not in a able to walk. Get in. Beware of your Famas. Put it in front of you. Symbol of the Elite Soldier, White kepi bounds you to the family
Of the great foreign Legion, Who lost 36,000 of his men
Since its creation in 1831. The white kepi represents your oath To serve with honor and faithfulness And always respect The code of the legionnaire. Committed to the 2nd section
Of Lieutenant Lescop, Head up your white képi! Legio Patria Nostra. Legionnaire, you are a volunteer Serving France
With honor and faithfulness. Each member
Is your brother in arms, Whatever his nationality,
His race, his religion. You always show him
close solidarity Which must unite
The members of the same family. Respecting traditions,
Attached to thy chiefs, Discipline and camaraderie
Are your strength, Courage and loyalty to your virtues. Proud of your state of the legionnaire, You watches
In your always elegant demeanor, Your behavior always worthy
But modest, Your barracks always clean. Soldier of Elite,
You train with rigor, You maintain your weapon
As your most precious good, You have the constant concern
Of your physical form. The mission is sacred,
You execute it to the end And, if necessary, in operation, At the peak of your life. In combat,
You act without passion and hatred, You respect the defeated enemies, You never give up your dead,
Nor your wounded, nor your weapons. You stay at the Foreign Legion,
In your family, your company. I told you what to Noel? We all belong to the same family. We all belong to the same family.
So you stay in your family. White képi is a passage.
You will have it in ten days, When you have succeeded
All that you were asked to do. - You understood well ?
"Yes, Captain." Questions ? Yes. In ten days, I walk again
And I shall have my white kepi? In ten days you'll do the final hike and get your képi. Okay ? The legionnaires we filmed
in Afghanistan have all returned to France
in January. None missed the call. Of the 50 volunteers
that we have followed during the training period, 38 have integrated their regiment;
the other 12 became civilian again. Romanuc found the use of his hands. And finally, Vafaina
succeeded his white Kepi walk. As for Lim, it was excluded
for its impulsive behavior.
Nice...would love some better subtitles though.
Awesome find