It's based on the author's dairy from the Foreign Legion in early 60's, in Algeria. There was only one element, albeit not a minor one though he treated it as such, that marred this story for me - a recounting of a nasty incident in which, upon learning that an officer in charge of his platoon had made a homosexual pass at another member of the unit, Murray flew into a rage and beat the officer up - the homophobia involved was considered a normal attitude in the 1960s, and especially in a military organization, but it is nonetheless very ugly. Yet in 1960, Simon Murray traveled alone to Paris, Marseilles, and ultimately Algeria to fulfill the toughest contract of his life: a five-year stint in the Legion. The Legionnaire book. Fighting in the Algerian war, he risked his life many times over; combat was at close quarters and was very bloody. As in all the Casca books, they are great stories, if you can get past the writing. This is one of the better ones. Yet in 1960, Simon Murray traveled alone to Paris, Marseilles, and ultimately Algeria to fulfill the toughest contract of his life: a five-year stint in the Legion. The tone changes with the authors mood, and because he is a grunt in the French Foreign Legion, his moods can go from cheerful to royally pissed in a snap. He is a brit so there are some strange words tossed around. by Jove The French Foreign Legion is tough. Not bad right, immortality and all. Books about Legionnaire Style / Genre Adventure Apocalyptic Biography Comic Contemporary Entertaining Fantasy Futuristic Historical Horror Humor Memoir Mystery Nonfiction Paranormal Romance Suspense Thriller Urban fantasy Vampire fiction
Inspired by the romantic myths of Beau Geste, he found himself in the ranks of one of the world's greatest - and toughest - fighting forces. My only complaint is that for a legendary military unit, the author's amount of combat seen and his combat experience is massively unimpressive. I was rather impressed with him, so when I came across this book (after having read the Douglas Porch history of the Legion in the early 1990s), I was eager to read it. Legionnaire book.
I had seen a passing reference to the Legion in another book - something along the lines of "a legionnaire will drop dead before he stops marching." And with a dose of flair rarely seen these days.Mr. Many of the characters and situations are familiar to anyone that has served but the rA youthful, romantic, impulsive gesture leads Simon Murray to run away to the French Foreign Legion and sets in motion this timeless classic story of becoming a soldier and a man. This is the story of Casca the Roman legionnaire that stabbed Christ.
In my opinion, this is a great book.Why would an Englishman join the French Forign Legion in the 1960's? De Gaulle, after having promised the Mr. Murray has been there and done that. Written in such a humble fashion. Buy Legionnaire: The Real Life Story of an Englishman in the French Foreign Legion Reprints by Murray, Simon (ISBN: 8601404331503) from Amazon's Book Store. There doesn't seem to be much decent written about the Legion in English, but Simon Murray's "Legionnaire" seemed to get reasonable reviews.Merde! These guys were supposed to be the hardest of the hard-core. When I read about the hardships, punishment, and outright sadism Simon Murray experienced in his five years in the French Foreign Legion, my life appears to be a mere picnic by comparison!A good book to read when you're feeling sorry for yourself, when you're feeling that your life is just too hard. Fighting in the Algerian war, he risked his life many times over; combat was at close quarters and was very bloody. Not only was there lots of detail about Dien Bien Phu but also it gave insight into the cause of the 1st Indo Chinese war, tactics employed by both sides and manI dont know if its being set in the modern era (relatively) or the Vietnam War but I really liked this so much more than most of the other Casca books recently.
Murray recounts these adventures in an intelligent and humorous manner that is reminiscent of how stories are told around the tables in any regimental mess. Published Read 11 reviews from the world's largest community for readers.
Welcome back. It was released on June 12, 2017 and published by Galaxy's Edge Press. I can't help but be simultaneously struck by the youthful energy of this five-year diary and at the same time by the unusual level of insight and reflection on his own thoughts, actions, and emotions and on the events of the world around him. May 30th 2006 He kept a unique diary of the hard living, harsh discipline, and the military tradition of 'March or Die' which he turned into this gripping book. Merde! I always enjoy them and believe I learn quite a lot about the historical period they're set in but some are definitely more interesting than others and this book is one of them. Adventurer and businessman Simon Murray. "A good book to read when you're feeling sorry for yourself, when you're feeling that your life is just too hard.