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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1963)
g 0 THURSDAY, APRIL 25, IMS MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON . Scattered French Foreign Legion Celebrates Hallowed Battle By CHARLES RIDLEY United Prest international Paris (UPD The fabled French Foreign Legion, a glor ious but dying anachronism celebrates the centenary of its most hallowed battle April 30 scattered asunder from the Al sedan desert forts which it called home. On April 30, 1863, a band of less than 60 legionnaires died almost to a man at small hacienda in Cameronc Mexico, after fightine off 3,000 Mexicans for 10 hours. The gallant stand of the fa bled men in the white kepis and blue great coats during the French atlempt to install the Austrian Emperor Maxi milian on the Mexican throne became to the legion what the Alamo is to Texans and the Halls of Montezuma to the U. S. Marines. To this day "faire Camer one" (to do a Camerone) means to the legion to fight to the last man. Each year the legion marks the anniversary with pageants and celebrations. In Its bar racks the epic of Camerone is recited and the artificial hand of Capt. Jean Oanjou, who died commanding his men at Camerone, is paraded at the legion headquarters. From 1884 until July 1, 1962-the day of Algerian independence- that headquarters was In the semi-desert town of Sidi-Bel-Abbes, 40 miles south of Oran. Today the legion's headquarters-lhe famed First Regiment-is at Aubagne, Just outside Marseilles on the mainland of France. Its training regiments are in Corsica. Other units arc scattered at Djibouti in French Somaliland, Diego Suarez in Madagascar, rang ing the Sahara Desert com munication lines, with a few score still In Algeria at the naval base of Mers-El-Kebir. For the first time since the French King Louis-Philippe founded the Foreign Legion March 10, 1831, the famed corps of "volunteers to die for a flag not their own" was without a French overseas ter ritory to die in. Legion Losing The legion is still taking recruits, at its depots in Paris, Marseilles and Strasbourg. But with the romance of far away conflict gone, enlist ments are dwindling and the legion seems headed for ex tinction. With the end of the old style legion goes a tradition that has captured the imagin ation of mavericks among men for 132 years. Countless thousands of men with broken lives and rebels against society turned to the legion to give new meaning to their existence. Personal crisis, family trou ble, police trouble or political trouble, the legion took them all. "The Army of Lost Souls." one writer called them. Some joined for more banal reasons hunger, unemployment or weariness with a modern so ciety that crushed the indi vidual. The legion offered its tough rules and an ideal. It rehabil itated broken men under the uniform of a religion of fidel ity and honor. It has never made any bones about the mission of the legionnaire to die for France. In 1883, during the conquest of Indochina, Gen. De Ncgricr .sent his legionnaires off to the swamps and jungle with the words: "You, legionnaires, you arc soldiers ready to die. I am sending you where men die." The legionnaires died in the conquest of Indochina and they died fighting barehanded, vastly outnumbered at the battle of Dien-Bien-Phu which marked the fall of Indochina in 19S4. In between and before the Indochina conquest, the le gionnaires fought with gal lantry in the conquest of all France's overseas possessions and in all its great wars. In the seven-and-haif years war in Alegria, where the legion was fighting for its adopted home, its soldiers bore the worst of every ac tion. It lost 64 officers, 282 non-coms and 1,595 legionnaires. Yet in Algeria the legion wound up in something ap proaching disgrace. Its crack First Parachute Regiment backed the generals who or ganized a last-ditch revolt against President Charles de Gaulle April 22-25, 1961. After the revolt collapsed hundreds of legionnaires deserted to ioin the clandestine secret army organization (OAS) in the doomed struggle to keep Algeria French. French men who had never failed to claim the legion's empire-building epics as French turned on the famed foreign corps and said: "What can you expect of a bunch of mercen aries?" The Foreign Legion in fact is the tail end of a centuries long French tradition of mer cenary soldiers. In the time of Charles VII, who became King of Fiance in 1422, the king had a mer cenary Scottish guard. When he came to the throne, the English held most of France. Then came Joan of Arc and under her banner the Scottish guard helped to drive the Eng lish out of everywhere in France except Calais. For fighting in Italy, King Louis XII used cavalry from the Balkans and Turkey who used to hang their enemies heads on their saddles. King Henri IV used Hungarian Hus sars and Swiss Guards. Francois I and Kings Louis XIV, XV and XVI employed Swiss Guards to defend their throne. Napoleon Recruits The Emperor Napoleon I re cruited foreign mercenaries wherever his triumphs took him. He had an Oriental Mameluke Guard and Italian and Polish Regiments. During his "100 Days" comeback from exile on the Mediter ranean Island of Elba, eight regiments of foreigners backed him. Sixteen years after Water loo the remnants of the Swiss Guard and other mercenaries were used to form the nucle us of the Foreign Legion. When the Foreign Legion was formed, it was easy for France to get mercenaries to join. The military splendor of the Napoleon era and the freedom principles of the French Revolution had stirred the hearts of Europe. The legion's success was surefire in the 19th Century when ail European nations were interested in conquering and colonizing Africa and oth er territories. The average Frenchman wanted no part of it. He did not want his son killed to set up rubber plantations and suchlike overseas. Famed Poem In a famed poem to his dead legionnaires famed and known by heart through the legion, an Italian captain wrote dur ing the conquest of Indochina: "When will the Frenchmen understand "That war is fought tooth . VjH LaaWBV In KmWmmk Jr aaam am aV aawaaalr Ja0M aMaamf wm "wL jXdfl LagiBaf A JSBt J)'S Baal IN LAST PARADE The first battalion of the famed French Foreign Legion presents colors during Us last parade late last year, when this picture was taken. (UPD The Family Council Kdltor'a noi,: ihr Family Counrtt consists or a Judgr. a Vhyehlalrlal, three clergymen, three edttori end a women's editor. Kach arUcle la a summary of a family disagreement presented to the Council. The Council deals with problems, major and minor, em-ountered by guidance counselors and social workers. Edited by Mrs. Alma Denny. (Copyright by Ganaral Features Corp.) Martin V. - She wants to blow our whole budget on a rug and a sofa. Gilda O. - We might as well have two beautiful things ainung the junk. Martin V.-Wc're being mar ried next month and have Just signed a lease for an aparl ment. Our savings, plus a few cash wedding gifts on hand and expected, permit us to shop around for furniture in advance. Our set limit allows us to pay for the essentials -a bedroom set, a sectional for the living room, and a dinette table with a few chairs. But Gllda would rather splurge on two things and get the rest at a Thrift Shop or secondhand from friends. Gilda O. - Who knows what the future will bring'.' I say let's grab the gorgeous Orien tal and tho antique Dumluiiu sofa that are within our grasp. Martin is only a salesman now, but even if he rises to be president of his c o m p a n y these pieces will fit into our home. And if we stay poor, at least we'll have had the joy of living with fine things. If we sit on the floor and look at the sofa, or sit on the sola and look at the floor, we won t mind other things being shabby Th Council: Writing tills for a young couple on a balmy spring day we chime in with Herrlck to say, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" - and add, but not antiques. That lush floor won't look very good after nights of battle with lumpy mattress and a sag ging bedspring. When it's a matter of a few expensive lux uries or a full-scale modest furnishing project, we vote fur the latter. Martin's approach makes more day-to-day sense. The big hols in the bankroll should come from the pur chase of comfortable beds and expertly upholstered sil-stuff. The next "extravagance" may be quality lamps and small tables. Carpets, cabinets, cur tains, and "art" may be make shift. That "someday" ship, docking at the V. home, can replace them gradually. Study Being Made Of Birth Defects New York - ICW - In I he beginning, a baby is one cell, barely big enough to be seen with the naked eye. Nine months later, at birth, he Is trillions of cells, among Hu m hundreds of different types created to perform different (unctions. feels. Some 250,000 babies arc born with significant de fecis each year in the United States. The National Foundation reports scientists trying to ex plain how this happens may find clues to gome birth de- 4-H Club News The meeting of the Milk Pail Wranglers 4-H club was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter llcrzog. There were three new members pre sent. They were given the Hoards Dairy Cow judging contest. Members discussed old and new business and the next meeting was planned for May 13. Louise Heriog, Reporter club helped with the program for the Home Extension unit in Evanfl valley. The girls who had finished their skirts mo deled and those wTio hadn't gave a short talk on what we are doing in 4-H for this year. Judy Gilmore, Reporter Beet Club The meeting of the Central Point Beef 4-11 club was held at the home of Floyd Char ley and John Swartsfager pre sided. There were 13 members present and one visitor, Mr. Barnes. Diseases of cattle were discussed. A committee to plan a rodeo was appointed. T h e members are Bob Bray, chair man, John Bray. Hugh Char ley. Jack Peak and John Swartsfager A demonstration on fitting and showing a steer will be given al the next meeting on May 21 Refreshments were served by Bob and John Bray The club's leader. Floyd Charley, was one of the nom inees for the Cow Belles Father of the Year". Karen Charlt, . Reporter New York -lUPli- Hospital construction in the United States is booming, according to the Health Insurance in stitute, which reports that more than SI. 3 billion was spent during, 1962 in building hospitals, nursing homes and other health-related institu tions. This was an increase of 14 per cent over the previous year. TIME TO CROW St. Louis - lUPP - The St. Louis zoo has a talking crow that announces closing time by rasping "five o'clock . . . five o'clock" at the zoo entrance. Bugien Duggon Saturday, April 20, I h r lUi.von Duzen 4-H club held a meeting at the home of Bet ty Taylor. II was a poUUCk luncheon. Alter the luncheon j a short business meeting was held and we then worked on ' our projects Thursday, April 18. our 1 viflapBH for tooth, eye for eye, "And that these foreigners who died, "Each time, in dying, spared them mourning?" It was the tradition of the legion that wherever it fought and conquered, it built roads, houses and consolidated its area. A legion column on the march was fabulous to behold in its array and diversity. As soon as the fighting was over, the legionnaires took their shirts off and started building. This tradition was carried through right up to the end in Algeria. Legion specialists taught in Arab schools, tend ed the sick in outlying regions and helped re-settle the pitiful refugees. Die lo Serve All this was done by a mot ley band who joined, often in hopelessness, and lived and died to serve the legion mot toes "Honor and Fidelity' and "Valor and Discipline." "Legio Patna wostra"-the legion is our country-was and is etched on the buildings wherever the legion plants its flags. Accepted without proof of identity, without even a birth certificate, they live to prove themselves in the eyes of their officers and comrades. Now it is twilight for the corps. The legion is down to about 12,000 men and fast dwin dling. 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