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. But those who remain
and thousands of the legion's
nostalgic veterans are cele
brating on Camerone Day
Centenary a military tradition
which, like old soldiers, can
not die, but may well fade
away.
Get the picture's
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