Foreign Legion Foreign Legion is one of the world's most colorful and gallant fighting forces. The Legion is a unit of the French government and is called the Legion Etrangere in French. It consists of volunteers.
Most Legionnaires come from countries other than France.
Frenchmen are forbidden to join the Legion, but some enlist by giving false nationalities. Men who apply for duty in the Legion must be between 18 and 40 years old. They must pass a strict physical examination to be accepted. Legionnaires enlist for five years. The Legion does not make its records public, and an atmosphere of mystery, exaggeration, and glamor surrounds it.