The French Foreign Legion

Well, just after I last posted my thoughts on the documentaries on Disc 1 of Young Indiana Jones, Volume 3, I happened to remember the other documentary spotlighted on the disc. There is an excellent 30-minute piece on the history of the French Foreign Legion. Originally organized around 150 years ago, the French Foreign Legion originally consisted of outcasts from other societies who had no place else to go and wanted to get their lives back in order. Over a five-year tour of duty, those associated with the Foreign Legion put themselves through an extremely rigorous training where death is considered the ultimate way to go out - their mindset: "Today is a good day to die." (And you thought the Klingons first came up with it!)

Through the eyes of two surviving officers, we learn about the history of the French Foreign Legion and what drives people to pursue such aspirations of glorious, romantic adventures and dying for a cause. Hollywood had its hand in perpetuating the romantic myth of the Legion through numerous movies in the 1930's, the myth of which still continues to this day in the harsh guerrilla warfare of the 21st century. Desertion was the norm in the Foreign Legion, and if you returned, more often than not your punishment was to go back to your unit and start all over again. And if you survived five years of hell, you had a story to tell, as those soldiers interviewed for this documentary have to offer.

I'm currently getting started on the documentaries for Disc 2, which include a look at the formation of the Turkish Empire in the 20th century and an exploration of the myth of Dracula. See you then!