Kepi Blanc - French Foreign Legion

This site: Missions: Misc: powered by bravenet.com Last update: 26 April. 2009 © Zdenek Busek Photos are courtesy of Zdenek and other members of the 2REP.
	Dedicated to our son who left us in June 2002 to pursue his dream of kepi blanc. We all miss you Zdendo, but we wish you all the best and good luck in your future life. Never give up on what you really want to do.
	In every man and woman's life there comes a time of ultimate challenge - a time when every resources we have is tested. A time when our faith, our values, our patience, our compassion, our ability to persist, are all pushed to our limits and beyond. Some people use such tests as opportunities to become better people - others allow these experiences to destroy them. Anthony Robbins, Unlimited Power.
	One Legionnaire's Experience: "... That same day I was taken to the main Legion Entrangere (LE) Headquarters at Augbane. All my possessions were taken from me. They left me with only the bare essentials - shaving cream, my Mach 3 razor, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, my Nike runners and dad's Tissot watch. Oh, they also let me keep the French phrasebook that A. bought me. All the rest was locked away deep down in the Augbane "magasin" clearly labeled with my real name, but who knows when it'll see the light of day again. ..." more...
	An old postcard with name Capitaine Danjou remands me the 30th of April is close - the day the Legion celebrates the bravery of their men fallen at Cameron, Mexico 1863. Have a great day - all of you wearing white or black kepis. Afghanistan - war with no end in sight The report will be about France's role in Afghanistan. They have around 3000 troops and have been there since 2001. The myth is that the French are just a peace keeping force - but there was a lot of NATO praise for them when they left the relative safety of the capital and sent 700 extra troops to Kapisa last year. More BBC ... "I don't get the impression we're peacekeeping here" Col Nicolas Le Nen 27th Regiment de Chasseurs France is already among the top five contributors to Nato operations and has almost 3,000 troops in Afghanistan. The largest contingent is in the eastern province of Kapisa, where our Paris correspondent, Emma Jane Kirby, has spent two weeks embedded with the troops for Newsnight. More BBC ... "It will be very long, it will be very long to win the war." (Pte Beranger - Afghanistan) Australian SAS soldier awarded Victoria Cross MARK Donaldson has become the first Australian soldier awarded the Victoria Cross in 40 years, for his "exceptional bravery" in service in Afghanistan. Full story ... French Foreign Legion Is Still a Draw From International Herald Tribune. There was no other way to put it: Stiven Baird, an American in the French Foreign Legion, looked, well, terrible. He was one week into the legion's jungle warfare course here in the equatorial rain forest, and he was famished after eating nothing for three days but some agouti, a rodent that resembles a large tailless rat. From French Guyana.. A short note from Gabon - 19 October 2008 Hello from the Black Continent, We arrived to Libreville in the French army Airbus with no problems. Few days of acclimatization and then Port Gentil - with lot of duties awaiting us. We were there alone, only our section and apart from our duties we were also helping local fisherman with their daily catches - I saw a 3m shark being caught in the net - scary. We came back from Port Gentil on St. Michel day. I celebrated by a jump from 3700 m over drop zone "St. Denis" - my first free fall in Africa and and the first from Transall's back ramp - sensational. Landing on the beach and back in zodiac ... After St. Michel one week and a half in Ekwata, well known army terrain. We jumped classical static line and then one week bivouac in the African wild with wild elephants, buffalos and other native animals... Back from Ekwata and straight into duties in our quarters. It's hard, duties and duties, guard and service; we are pretty busy here. Next week we start the Tourne de Province, same as last time they let us go and taste the Gabon environment. I am looking forward to show some technical gadgets to local tribe children lost somewhere in the middle of African jungle. More when I am back, Zdenek (Compiled from Zdenek's email.) GR 20 - walking track in Corsica GR 20 is one of the most difficult walking tracks in Europe (more Wikipedia ... ). It leads from North to South on Corsica island, the home of the 2 REP. At some stage of their 5 year contract, legionnaires walk through this challenging trail with full kit hardly having time to enjoy the beauty of Corsican scenery more ... French veterans to lead Brisbane (Queensland, Australia) Anzac Day parade Posted Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:06am AEST This year's Anzac Day parade in Brisbane will be led by a group of French military veterans. The RSL says the move recognises the contribution made by French soldiers who fought alongside Anzac and other Commonwealth forces at Gallipoli. The French veterans will carry four flags at the front of the parade, honouring French marines, medal holders, veterans and their Foreign Legion. The parade begins at the corner of Queen St Mall and George Street at 10:00am (AEST). Most general histories of Gallipoli barely mention the French. But at the peak of their involvement, there were about 42,000 French men serving in Gallipoli and up to 15,000 of these men died there. There is vivid testament to this on the peninsula of Gallipoli today where, in the French Cemetery above S Beach, there are over two thousand individual grave markers as well as five huge white ossuaries each containing the remains of up to three thousand men. More... Australian Diggers on exercise with Foreign Legion Australian Defence Force troops are taking part in a combined military exercise in New Caledonia. Troops from France, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Tonga and Papua New Guinea are also taking part in the operation. This morning members of the French Foreign Legion will parachute into an airfield near Koumac. A beach landing will also take place further north. The exercise aims to improve cooperation and communication between the countries in the event of a natural disaster, like a tsunami or a coup in the Pacific. The article was taken from the ABC news - more on French Foreign Legion in New Caledonia here ... A new plague dedicated to Australian commando units fought in WW2 by Dr. Ross J. Bastiaan has been installed in Tidal River, Wilsons Promontory NP. More ... Anzacs plaques around the world - have you spotted one? I have always been amazed by people who do things with passion regardless what their reward is or what other people think of them. Such is Dr. Ross Bastiaan, a Melbourne dentist who has invested a great deal of his time and money designing and installing plaques commemorating Australians served at war. From South Africa to Gallipoli, Flander Fields to the Kokoda Trail, more than 160 plaques tell the stories of Australians at war. The plaques are in London, Canberra, Balikpapan in Borneo, Tobruk and Singapore, just about everywhere the Australians have fought. more... I would like to include a chapter dedicated to Australians at war into this web site and would like to ask you for a help - if you come across one of the plaques created by Dr. Ross Bastiaan - could you please email a picture of it to zdenek@iprimus.com.au (and please include the subject 'kepi") - the picture if published will include name of the author. Thank you. News archive ...