Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-03

out 10 DC AL tLlllStcu uldIls dAtu
the officers get the details. /
have found myself standing
guard and assigned to water
bearing duty.
"Of course, no orders are given
which would demean or disgrace
an officer cite this holiday be-
cause it shows that the relation
ship between officers and men Is
not one of brutal discipline,
which so many people think"
This sense Of being commu-
nifty or family. rather than a
strictly disciplined military Or
|ganization is apparent from even
the most casual observation of
cer-enlisted man relationships
lat Sidi bel Abbes.
A laxness exists that would be
surprising in such units as the
United States Marine Corps. but
which is Q necessity for the For
Ieign Legion. Instead Of finding
enlisted Legionnaires cringing
before their officers there is q
more straightforward relation
ship than in most military or
CARNATIONS.
Enlisted men who have been
assigned to their units for any
length of time don't hesitate to
state their opinions before off,
GERS. will often converse with
them on q social basis. and in
general act far from the seen
and not heard" tradition asso-
ciated with strict discipline.
Unique Atmosphere
Veterans OF crack" military
units have repeatedly evinced
shock at this atmosphere of Joint
effort when they serve with the
Legion. but it may well be the
only atmosphere in which the
Legion could survive and fight.
For rather than being the
toughest of their breed, the aver
age Legionnaire is often among
the weakest. That he joined the
Legion at all is an indication
that he fed some personal prob
lem rather than face 1t, and Le-
gion officers agree that men who
have fed once might well do so
again. For this. reason the Le-
gion feels it is important to give
its men a sense of belonging to
a community to which they &C.
lively contribute.
In recent years the Foreign
Legion has done much to i'm
prove the lot Of its men while
they are in its service, as well as
established programs which will
aid them in returning to civilian
life.
AS in almost every construc-
tive thing the Legion has done
since its inception in 1881. these
moves have been made with lit
tile financial or moral assistance
from the French government.
The Legion will never be idle.
though. and the same unit which
lin 1910 was capturing North
African outposts and building
roads between them to make
their own travel problems easier
lis not blocked by something as
basic as a lack Of funds.
In the past five years the Le-
Igion has established a special
morale service which operates.
among other things, a program
of job placement in France and
North Africa for the Legionnaire
whose duty term has expired and
who does not wish to re-enlist
The service is also in charge
Iof a home for manned Legion
naires in Puyloubier, France.
where those who have been Grip
lpled or lost limbs learn new
trades and crafts which enable
them to find useful civilian en-
Iployment.,
Self-financed Projects
This program is financed
through such money raising en-
lterprises as the sale Of furniture,
paintings and ceramic objects
made by the Legionnaires. many
of whom devote their free time
to such activities.
Also on a self-sufficient basis
lis the Legion's primary publica-
ton. KEPT Blanc, a life-size
monthly turned out by a skeleton
staff Of reporters and photog-
Iraphers who drop their rifles for
half a month to report on Legion
operations.
These morale programs also
receive money from the canteens
and post exchanges which are to
be found in even the smallest
Foreign Legion outpost. Mer-
chandise and vast quantities of
alcoholic beverages OF all de-
scriptions are sold at a fraction
over cost, with the profit going to
the morale program.
The Legion also collects and
administers a special fund from
which 1t can make loans to its
men whose families may sudden
Ilv he In need of substantial Sums