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About The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip. (Portland, Or.) 1923-1927 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1925)
Soldiers of Fortune in Foreign Legion pproximately forty self-styled Americans are now serving in the famous foreign legion of the French army, scattered in Algeria, Morocco, Syria and Tonkin. But how many of that two-score are really citizens of the United States the French war depart ment is unable to say. All it knows is that within the past three years forty men describing themselves as Americans have enlisted. The reason for lack of accurate data on these self-exiled or self-styled Ameri cans is that the French army requires absolutely no identity papers of appli cants for service in its renowned expedi tionary corps. A German who has never been any farther west than Franfurt-on- the-Main may present himself before a recruiting officer and join the legion under the name of Otto Schmidt, Ameri- can, bom in Hoboken. Similarly a Pole may join up as Stanislas Skryzskinski, American born and bred in Cleveland. Provided the applicant meets the physical requirements, which are fairly stiff, the French recruiting authorities make no investigation. “No questions asked” is the legion’s rule. For the legion Etrangère was founded “to offer refuge,” according to the min ister of King Louis Philippe who organ ized it in 1831, “to those foreigners who, by reason of the troubled state of Europe, have come within our borders, and whose presence, unemployed and harassed by neecssity, may constitute a public dan ger.” Soon after 1831 membership in the legion was thrown open to Frenshmen. From the begining of its history of nearly 100 years, the legion has normally been a good forty or fifty per cent German in makeup. Yet never, according to the French army chiefs, has that high percentage made the slightest difference in the legion’s loyalty to either the white flag of Louis Philippe or the tricolor under which France’s armies have marched during the reign of Napoleon III and the present republican regime. The glowing citation which the polyglot warriors amassed during the late war are ample proof that their famous song, “Having no fatherland. France is our mother.” is no mere poetical imagery. The legion’s strength is now close to twenty thousand men. In times of peace its effectives are normally not employed in France proper, but in the colonies. The regulations provide that legionaires, who enlist for a five-year first term of serivce, shall be rotated from Africa to the far east and back again. For the legion the French high command tries to live up to the old recruiting promise of “Join the army and see world.” The discipline, as far as regulations go, is exactly the same as in the regular French forces. In practice the presence of a large number of German non-com missioned officers tends to make it more strict. However, foreign officers who can show good service records may be ad mitted as legion second lieutenants after a six months’ training period. Oppor- A I tunity for attendance at the French offiecrs’ training schools is held out to all ranks of legionnaires who show the necessary aptitude. Among the officers now serving with the legion three are known to be bona fide Americans who joined the force dur ing the late war. One certified American is serving as a first sergeant. But of the remainder of the required forty, little is known in official quarters. And official quarters, keeping to the idea of the “refuge,” are not anxious to be further informed. Bill Smith, a country shopkeeper, went to the city to buy goods. They were sent immediately and reached home before he did. When the boxes were delivered, Mrs. Smith, who was keeping the shop, uttered a scream, seized a hatchet, and began frantically to open the largest one. “What’s the matter, Sarah?” asked one of the by standers, who had watched her in amaze- ment. Pale and faint, Mrs. Smith pointed to an inscription on the box. It read, “Bill inside.'' — Squib. i Page Nineteen THE UNITED AMERICAN MAY 1925 I Overbeck-Cooke Co. 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