The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-10
More Than 2 GOO Veterans Of Famed
 Foreign Legion Now Average Americans New Organization To Combat Impression Criminals
By PAUL HARRISON
 NEA Gervlca Writer :

Il
 New York-Fifty men stood in a big hotel dinning room the other night and roared out Q stirring marching song. Passerby paused in wonder. for though the words were French, the men obviously represent ed half dozen nationa1ities. And to further the incongruity, there were old men and young and ap- parently rich men and poor. It was the first meeting of veter- ans of the French Foreign Legion. now living in the United States. Not Q Hideaway for Criminals They chose Q Frenchman to head l tllem,i and German as their vice. president. They paid tribute to their famous fighting unit, now exactly a century old. and discussed means of combating the impression that the Legion Is hideaway for criminals. They planned to make their Organi- zation nationwide, to include all the adventurous souls now in this coun- Itry who ever marched under the | tricoior with Discipline and Valor." And there are many of our com rades in America" said Dr Maurice Hammonneau, the president and or- ganizer. We believe there are at least 2,000 of them, scattered from
  more here than in any other country. for it seems that all them want to come here when their enlistments expire.
 Before the war 1t was the adven- turer and the man who wanted to forget something who enlisted in the Foreign Legion. When the World War came, the Legion was the only French army that would accept Americans, though they were trans- ferred to their own units when this country joined the Allies.
 Half of Escadrille Alive. "The Lafayette Escadrille was part of the Foreign Legion, too. It had 200 Americans, and about 11O are still alive. And since the war the Legion has received other adventurers and former American soldiers who preferred to go on fighting"
 The association here already has members from all of these classes. The oldest so far is Hippolyte Block. 69, Legionnaire from 1881 to 1886, who later entered the U. s. Army, served under Roosevelt, and has been retired a master sergeant. pr Tournament enlisted in the unit at IT. 1T was impatient" he recalled, "and the French army wouldn't accept me until I was IS. Nor would the Legion enlist a Frenchman. So changed my name and went in as a Belgian" He served four years and was wounded in Morocco. When 21, he was ordered to report for military service.
 His father was forced to confess the Maurice already was serving in the Foreign Legion under an as- sumed name and nationality. As signed to a regiment in France, he was wounded five times and emerged with Croix de Guerre with star. Don't Enlist as Americans.
 Today he is q skin and scalp specialist and has applied for Amer lcan citizenship. A. Maurcr, vice. president of the veterans society and manufacturer of medals and ribbons, has been a citizen for some time, as have most of the other members so far discovered. Dr Hamnonneau turned at ran- l dom to a page of his roster. Look 7 he said "what mixedup bunch they turned out to be, these iegion- naires. An automobile salesman. 2 plastic surgeon, a maitre de hotel, an engineer, an explorer. There is q professor at New York University. This one is q well-known artist. An army captain, an actor, a mechanic, an electrician, a photographer--the whole list Is like that.
 "I never met single American | in the Foreign Legion. There were | many of them there, but they en- | listed as Canadians or Australians Russians enlist as Germans, Ger mans as Belgians, and so on. Men of the Legion never ask questions. Nor will we, in this organization. question any mans social position or occupation.
 No Real Criminals in Legion.
 But do not believe what the