Marching with the Devil
Legends, Glory and Lies in the French Foreign Legion
Published on 27. September 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-0-7336-2813-9 (ISBN)
Description
In 1894 a French Foreign Legion General said, "Legionnaires, vous etes faits pour mourir, je vous envoie la ou on meurt." Legionnaires, you are made for dying, I will send you where you can die. When I was in my mid-teens and first read those words they were powerful and confronting. I read them as a challenge and an invitation. The words, and the feelings they evoked, remained with me until I was ready. On 20 May 1988, I enlisted in the French Foreign Legion.'
Based on his diaries, this is a frank account of how Mason came first in basic training, trained other Legionnaires, went to Africa, did sniper, commando and medic's training and took part in two operations, both in the Republic of Djibouti where a civil war nearly crippled the nation. It tells of his daily life in the Legion, in the training regiment, in Africa and with the Legion's Parachute Regiment. But more than this: David's gripping account reveals his disillusionment, frustration and disappointments, and how the Legion today is not what it seems.
Based on his diaries, this is a frank account of how Mason came first in basic training, trained other Legionnaires, went to Africa, did sniper, commando and medic's training and took part in two operations, both in the Republic of Djibouti where a civil war nearly crippled the nation. It tells of his daily life in the Legion, in the training regiment, in Africa and with the Legion's Parachute Regiment. But more than this: David's gripping account reveals his disillusionment, frustration and disappointments, and how the Legion today is not what it seems.
Reviews / Votes
Marching with the Devil quickly turns into an insightful and honest account of an unpretentious Aussie's experiences in one of the most ramshackle and soul-destroying military organisations on Earth. - COURIER-MAIL Since its creation in 1831, the French Foreign Legion has become the stuff of myth, fiction and dreams ... Anyone thinking of joining up would be well advised to read this book first. - SUN-HERALD Remarkable - THE AGE A strangely compulsive read about one man's quest for self knowledge. - MEN'S HEALTH Mason left a comfortable life in Australia to test himself in the crucible of the legion, and he writes about it 20 years after his service time, necessary to give himself the distance and context he needed to write about an extraordinary and painful experience. - SUNDAY MAIL It s a rollicking, readable memoir of extreme adventures. - Burnie AdvocateMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Sydney
Australia
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
352 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7336-2813-9 (9780733628139)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2010
Hachette Australia
€6.49
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
09/2010
Hachette Australia
€47.24
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
In 1988, David Mason joined the French Foreign Legion. He stayed for five years and served in the Legion's elite Parachute Regiment. David later wrote about his time in the Legion in MARCHING WITH THE DEVIL. In 1998, alone with three camels, David walked across Australia at its widest point, carrying out the first recorded solo east-to-west crossing of the Simpson Desert. For this expedition he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Australian Geographic Society. He wrote a book about this journey titled, WALK ACROSS AUSTRALIA: THE FIRST SOLO CROSSING. For a decade David was Counsel, International Law in the Department of Defence. He was Senior Adviser to Australia's Defence Minister and later, National Security Adviser to the Attorney-General of Australia. David left the Attorney's office to pursue a Doctorate in Law at the Australian National University's College of Law. His doctoral thesis deals with the status of mercenaries in international armed conflict. David has deployed on operations eight times and is the only person to have served as a Legionnaire, Australian Defence Civilian on Bougainville and in Iraq, Private Contractor in Iraq and as an Australian Defence Force Officer in Afghanistan....