What is exactly is the FFL classified as? Are they light infantry (similar to Army Rangers, etc) or are they commandos (similar to US Army SF, etc). I don't really understand what they were designed for, what mission tasks they are assigned, etc.

So they are organized like a small army, with light infantry, advanced light infantry, and different types of commandos. It makes sense, considering they are a "legion". From what I have heard about them, they are some of the toughest guys on the planet, and they would rather die than fail (probably a cliche, but I think they take it seriously).

 

I have watched some of their training on the Military Channel here in the US, and honestly is doesn't look as brutal as most SOF training does...but around 70%-80% don't make it. Basically, from what I saw of it, it started with about 15 guys in some living in some small hut in the desert, with one mean sob drill instructor (he sounded like an American), and they got down to like 4 guys by the end. There was no real PT, they did alot of obstacle courses, and they ran up one big a** hill with a rucksuck and carrying a bunch of rocks (remember, this is the desert with very hot tempetures).

the FFL was designed to die,......seriously, they were designed to be a politically expedient force of foreigners who if they got killed, it wouldn't be such a big deal, about what they do, there are a few small "SOF" style units in the FFL, for combat swimming, pathfinding, the big elite would be the 2 REP, paras, who carry out similar roles to the Rangers, the rest of the FFL, is light infantry with minimal armour, hard bastards by most standards, but still infantry, their discipline is what sets them apart in the Western world, it's harsh and brutal,

Yeah, I think Mough is right on at least from what I've seen and read about them.  They seem like very good light infantry, Rangers is probably a good comparison.  However, what makes me think a little dubious of them is that their "romantic" history of dying in place seems to have made its way into their training and doctrine.   Personally, I completely agree with George Patton on "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."

Hey GOP, I think we watch some of the same programs.  I beleive that show was "Run Away to the Legion" (or something along those lines).  I beleive it was just a TV show.  They hired some ex Legion folks and to run some people through a mock boot camp.  Sort of like "Survivor" meets the Legion.  Not sure how accurate that sort of thing is. 

 

was flipping channels one time and fell into some kind of french documentary about the foreign legion.  while my french is pretty awful i catch a bit of what's going on and decided to watch it for a bit.

 

they were doing a movement exercise through a mockup of an arab souk.  very tight quarters with a lot of room clearing action.  suddenly in the midst of all the sturm and drang up pops a grizzled old sgt type herding along some journos and giving them the grand tour.  was pretty fun watching the journos jumping out of their skins as the guys were apparently using live ammo and real grenades in the testing.  what got me was the look on the sgt's face when one of the journo's ran into a room that one of the troopers had just tossed a live grenade into.  sgt looks into the room and then just continues on with the tour.  they didn't even blow down the exercise at that point just carried on.

 

 

Yeah, that was the name of the show I saw. I didn't get to watch all of it (not even 1 full episode), but I had no idea that it was a TV show. It's probably not very accurate...but I have heard that in their real selection process, that guys have been beaten to death and some have been thrown into the wilderness and had to kill their own food. Not sure if that is true or not (probably myth), but that is what I have heard.

Mough, I'm not considering the Legion at all. I go to my Heart doctor tomorrow (who deals with my autonomic syndrome and mvp), and I am going to drill him with questions to see if it is possible for me to still join the Navy, see what his opinion is as far as the safety of me going to BUD/S, etc. The doctor works alot with the Airforce, so he would know for sure if I would be able to enlist. If not, then I still have many options. Pretty much, it goes like this: Finish HS, go to college and make excellent grades, master a language or two (I am doing a very comprehensive Spanish program right now), get my pilots license, join a local pd, work up to tactical team (3 years to get there), then join the FBI under their tactical recruitment program, and get on the fast track to FBI HRT.