Merry Christmas – Joyeux Noël – Fröhliche Weihnachten

Wishing all readers and followers of this blog a very wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Please remember to keep in our prayers those brave men from all over the world who are away from their families and loved ones during this season while serving France in the Foreign Legion.  Lets also not forget those soldiers from the United States and Russia serving in Iraq and Syria as well as those who fight alongside troops from Italy, Germany, Turkey, Georgia, Romania, the UK and 32 other nations in Afghanistan.  These men are what stands between us and the Dark Ages.

One of the many traditions of the Foreign Legion during the Christmas holiday is the unit “creche”, competition.  Units (usually at the company level) compete to build the most meaningful Bethlehem manger dioramas.  Regardless of religion or beliefs each legionnaire gives their best effort in creating something special and unique.  The manger scenes must represent Christmas and the Legion and although there is no real prize involved this does not dampen their efforts to outdo the other units.  The winners are chosen by the commanders, local clergy and prominent citizens.  One will see the Christ child, the adoring Mary, Joseph and the three Wise Men depicted in very strange locations such as Mali, Djibouti, the jungles of French Guyana and even the trenches of WWI.  To connect the scene to the Legion are white kepis, camouflage netting, military vehicle models, Legion insignia, sand bags, and other props.  

Thank you all for your well wishes during my recent surgery.  I’m on the mend and looking forward to 2018.