During World War II he joined the Maquis de l'Ain et du Haut-Jura. In 1944 he joined the army, where he served at the 24ème Bataillon de chasseurs (ranger battalion) during the campaign against the Germans, and participated in the occupation of Austria. He also served in the French Indochina War with the 27ème Régiment de Tirailleurs Algériens and the 10ème Bataillon de Parachutistes de Chasseurs à Pied, and in the Algerian War as a mountain reconnaissance platoon leader of the 7eme Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins. After his military retirement in 1962 he worked as a civilian instructor at the École militaire de haute montagne (EMHM), in winters as trainer of the school's Nordic skiing team and in summers as a high mountain guide. From 1971 to 15 December 1981 he worked as technical adviser for the EMHM.