[Douai]

Allons enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !
Contre nous de la tyrannie,
L'étendard sanglant est levé, (bis)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats ?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras
Egorger vos fils, vos compagnes !


Aux armes, citoyens,
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons !
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !

[Pierre-Henri]

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/france/


My cousin is serving in this regiment (4e régiment de Légion Etrangère). He wasn't on the Champs, though :

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/fran...onnaires-.html

BTW, this thread should be in the NSR forum.

[Douai]

Originally Posted by Pierre-Henri

My cousin is serving in this regiment (4e régiment de Légion Etrangère). He wasn't on the Champs, though :

Really? That's interesting. I heard the training for La Légion étrangère is very tough.

[Pierre-Henri]

In fact it has been watering down in the recent years. Military authorities are trying to regularize and balance the different arms. Since all personels are now professional, it makes less sense to have a specific core of special troops. Plus, the "army vs legion rivalry" appears to be counter-productive since, by tradition, they don't really train to work together. Finally, the training philosophy is changing even in the legion : less "me kill U" drill, replaced by a more professional and technical approach. Testosterone isn't enough to make a 21st century soldier.

Of course, it will take a lot of time, but the legion is slowly disappearing (or it will be tranformed into a really watered down version of what it once was).

I'm sure the USA have the same kind of problems with the Marines. They look mean, have a prestigious history, but are they that useful ?

[cmblfc]

The jets flying over Paris were pretty sweet.

[Pierre-Henri]

Still, my cousin did some pretty scary things. Missions in the desert or in the guyane jungle without equipment, for example. Or they give a shovel per guy and tell them : "in X minutes, a Leclerc battle tank will pass here". The grunts have to dig a hole and let the tank pass over their heads. It weights 56 tons. I'm glad I did my army period in a military academy.

[lefutur]

here in Brooklyn they have an annual petanque tournament on July 14th. They actually shut down a whole street and have sand dumped on to make the sand pits that they play on. Its one of the biggest petanque events in the country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwkkNZW2HCw

[Pierre-Henri]

Un tournoi de pétanque à Brouqueline ? This thing is amazing !

[guignol]

Originally Posted by Pierre-Henri

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/france/


My cousin is serving in this regiment (4e régiment de Légion Etrangère). He wasn't on the Champs, though :

http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/fran...onnaires-.html

BTW, this thread should be in the NSR forum.

done.

funny, i was in france for the 4th and here in CA for the 14th, so missed ALL the fireworks!

[ASU55RR]

bumping this for 2009.

bonne fête for everyone in France and all who celebrate on 14 July.

Interestingly, I bumped this because I'm currently on vacation in New Orleans where I was suprised find a fairly large local celebration... I guess I shouldn't be suprised considering the French heritage of this area, but hearing people sing La Marseillaise in a city square, of an American city, is an interesting sight...

Fireworks, music, and street performances tonight apparantly.

Vive La France!
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité