Questions for my future

Jack37

New Member
Hello everyone, I am here today as I have a few questions to ask regarding my future and such. I am currently in high school, living in the US and I have been thinking about what I plan to do a lot recently. I have sort of narrowed it down that I want to do something in the security industry after college however serving in my nations army does not appeal to me. Please do not say I hate my country or am not patriotic because that is not the case, I love the United States. However, the United States military does not appeal to me for reasons that do not matter. I crave more of an adventure as well as being able to receive the extreme training I would need to ultimately enter the private security industry after serving.

Like I said, I crave an adventure and helping people is something I love doing. The past year I have been interested in possibly giving The French Foreign Legion a shot after college, however many people have advised against it. I love the idea of being able to serve for and experience another nations culture, however maybe the FFL isn't right for me. I am prepared and understand that sacrifice and hardship is part of the deal when serving and training in any military organization, I have thought this over for a while now. So therefore I have a few questions for you guys.

Are there any alternatives for me to receive the training and serve besides enlisting in my nations military? Maybe something similar to the FFL

For anyone who has served in the FFL what is it like?

What does it take to enter the private security industry?

Thanks everyone, I apologize if some the things I say are innacurate.
 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
Hello everyone, I am here today as I have a few questions to ask regarding my future and such. I am currently in high school, living in the US and I have been thinking about what I plan to do a lot recently. I have sort of narrowed it down that I want to do something in the security industry after college however serving in my nations army does not appeal to me. Please do not say I hate my country or am not patriotic because that is not the case, I love the United States. However, the United States military does not appeal to me for reasons that do not matter. I crave more of an adventure as well as being able to receive the extreme training I would need to ultimately enter the private security industry after serving.

Like I said, I crave an adventure and helping people is something I love doing. The past year I have been interested in possibly giving The French Foreign Legion a shot after college, however many people have advised against it. I love the idea of being able to serve for and experience another nations culture, however maybe the FFL isn't right for me. I am prepared and understand that sacrifice and hardship is part of the deal when serving and training in any military organization, I have thought this over for a while now. So therefore I have a few questions for you guys.

Are there any alternatives for me to receive the training and serve besides enlisting in my nations military? Maybe something similar to the FFL

For anyone who has served in the FFL what is it like?

What does it take to enter the private security industry?

Thanks everyone, I apologize if some the things I say are innacurate.
Gidday Jack. Welcome to the forum. First of all I haven't served in the French Foreign Legion, however I have read a bit about it and whilst it has that aura of romanticism about it, by all appearances it does have a few unpleasant hooks in it. Regarding the private security industry, from what I understand they generally prefer personnel with prior military experience.

If you do not want to serve in your own nations army, then one wonders why you would want to serve in a military or work in an industry where you have the possibility of being wounded or killed and required to kill. That second part is what is at the core of serving in any military force. You could check out the Canadian Armed Forces and find out what their enlistment requirements are. That would be a wise first step. They would be less of a culture shock for you than say the British, Australian or Kiwi defence forces let alone one where English is not the predominant language.

You also have to decide what you want to do in the military. It's not all glory and adventure. There is quite a lot of training especially at the beginning to train you in the way of the military. You must understand and accept that it is not just a job or lifestyle choice, but a way of life that will change you for the rest of your life. There are things that occur in military life that no civilian would accept or handle. That you will learn right from the start with things like kit and bed inspections where everything has to be exactly as required. This is not them being arseholes but it is teaching you discipline, self discipline, teamwork and that details are important even small details. Dust is your enemy. Square bashing aka parade ground work or marching practice is for the same reason and to get you to automatically respond to commands. Everything has a reason. Fitness before you join is highly important because you will get pushed to your physical limits often. The NZDF have a free Force Fit app that they want potential recruits to use to get fit. I've linked it so you may find it useful.

I hope this helps to give you a basic understanding.
 

Jack37

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3
Gidday Jack. Welcome to the forum. First of all I haven't served in the French Foreign Legion, however I have read a bit about it and whilst it has that aura of romanticism about it, by all appearances it does have a few unpleasant hooks in it. Regarding the private security industry, from what I understand they generally prefer personnel with prior military experience.

If you do not want to serve in your own nations army, then one wonders why you would want to serve in a military or work in an industry where you have the possibility of being wounded or killed and required to kill. That second part is what is at the core of serving in any military force. You could check out the Canadian Armed Forces and find out what their enlistment requirements are. That would be a wise first step. They would be less of a culture shock for you than say the British, Australian or Kiwi defence forces let alone one where English is not the predominant language.

You also have to decide what you want to do in the military. It's not all glory and adventure. There is quite a lot of training especially at the beginning to train you in the way of the military. You must understand and accept that it is not just a job or lifestyle choice, but a way of life that will change you for the rest of your life. There are things that occur in military life that no civilian would accept or handle. That you will learn right from the start with things like kit and bed inspections where everything has to be exactly as required. This is not them being arseholes but it is teaching you discipline, self discipline, teamwork and that details are important even small details. Dust is your enemy. Square bashing aka parade ground work or marching practice is for the same reason and to get you to automatically respond to commands. Everything has a reason. Fitness before you join is highly important because you will get pushed to your physical limits often. The NZDF have a ]free Force Fit app[/URL] that they want potential recruits to use to get fit. I've linked it so you may find it useful.

I hope this helps to give you a basic understanding.
Thanks for your response. There are a few reasons I do not wish to serve in my nations military, but honestly thats irrelevant at the time being it is all personal. I completely understand the sacrifice it takes to acclimate and succeed in military life and I feel like I am ready. I will definetely check out that app, thanks man
 

gf0012-aust

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
Thanks for your response. There are a few reasons I do not wish to serve in my nations military, but honestly thats irrelevant at the time being it is all personal. I completely understand the sacrifice it takes to acclimate and succeed in military life and I feel like I am ready. I will definetely check out that app, thanks man
try and find some autobiographies/biographies from foreign national ex-legionairres - its not all beer and skittles and might be worth reading for an insight
murray, travers, rowe etc...

opeds by people such as max hastings are also worth considering

pause before jumping...
 

Todjaeger

Potstirrer
pause before jumping...
I would emphasize this. If one has private security as a career goal, one should consider what type of private security one wants to do. If one is looking at/desires a career as a PMC (private military contractor) then some sort of relevant military service is a requirement. However, if one wants to work in personal protection type roles, then service in law enforcement is often a path that can be taken.

With respect to service in a military, if you are a US citizen, you could potentially jeopardize your citizenship by serving in a foreign military. Something to think long and hard about, as well as directing relevant questions to the State Department before making any such commitment.

If you are still in high school, what could be good experience for you is involvement with local first response agencies. Many areas in the US have volunteer fire departments or EMS agencies, in some cases both. Often it is possible to participate (to a degree) while in high school and/or between the ages of 16 - 18. The training can help prepare oneself for future events, and then the actual service experience (going on calls) should help quickly determine how well you can function in unpredictable situations and while under pressure during a crisis. Knowing that last bit IMO is invaluable if you are planning any sort of security career. Some people, for whatever reason, just do not perform well under pressure. Knowing how you do before committing to such a career can help.

One other potential advantage to getting experience as a first responder, is that the people who currently work in those fields in the US often have military experience, and also on occasion are or have been contractors. Establishing contacts with such people can give you a better idea of what paths to take.
 

Volkodav

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
I read an article years ago written by an Australian who served in the Legion (from memory in the 90s). Basically he hated it due to the vicious and violence and abuse that masqueraded as discipline. The major issue he raised what there were at that point a very large number of ex Russian and east European veterans serving as NCOs who discriminated in favour of their countrymen and belittled and physically assaulted those from western militaries in a somewhat school yard style type of behaviour.

I have had nothing to do with the legion, other than having worked with two veterans of it who did not discussing their experiences. The was another bloke I knew who claimed to have served in the Legion but as his claimed Australian service was BS I class his French service as the same.
 

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
I read an article years ago written by an Australian who served in the Legion (from memory in the 90s). Basically he hated it due to the vicious and violence and abuse that masqueraded as discipline. The major issue he raised what there were at that point a very large number of ex Russian and east European veterans serving as NCOs who discriminated in favour of their countrymen and belittled and physically assaulted those from western militaries in a somewhat school yard style type of behaviour.

I have had nothing to do with the legion, other than having worked with two veterans of it who did not discussing their experiences. The was another bloke I knew who claimed to have served in the Legion but as his claimed Australian service was BS I class his French service as the same.
I read a book a few years back written by a pommy (English) guy who did a standard five year term in the Legion. He basically hated it because of the discipline and the treatment. He was an ex British para but he said he wouldn't recommend it. You don't get all your pay in your hand, part of it is compulsorily banked which you don't have unrestricted access to, the food isn't always the best in quality especially breakfasts, there is a fair amount of bullying, the discipline is fairly harsh, it's difficult to get out of before your five year term is up, their marching style is quite difficult at the best of times, don't runaway or if you do don't get caught because the punishment is apparently pretty harsh and everything is in French with no translation to any other language. So if you don't speak French when you start, you have to learn it real quick. On the plus side after so many years service you get to be a citizen of France.
 

Bonza

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thanks for your response. There are a few reasons I do not wish to serve in my nations military, but honestly thats irrelevant at the time being it is all personal. I completely understand the sacrifice it takes to acclimate and succeed in military life and I feel like I am ready. I will definetely check out that app, thanks man
Hi Jack,

I know you've said it's irrelevant to the discussion but would you be open to at least articulating some of your reasoning behind not wishing to serve in your own nation's military? I understand if this is something you don't wish to discuss but it may be helpful in the long run to those attempting to offer you advice on how to get what you want out of your chosen career. So if you could do so that would be most helpful. It would be a far simpler decision (on the surface anyway) than joining the French Foreign Legion...

However, if you wish to remain silent on the issue then I understand of course. All the best.
 

bdique

Member
Hi Jack,

I know you've said it's irrelevant to the discussion but would you be open to at least articulating some of your reasoning behind not wishing to serve in your own nation's military? I understand if this is something you don't wish to discuss but it may be helpful in the long run to those attempting to offer you advice on how to get what you want out of your chosen career. So if you could do so that would be most helpful. It would be a far simpler decision (on the surface anyway) than joining the French Foreign Legion...

However, if you wish to remain silent on the issue then I understand of course. All the best.
Bonza, you bring up a good point here. Just thinking back to when I was a young 19 year old serving...back then for me it was all about improving yourself in terms of fitness, or technical handling skills, or proving your worth out in the field. You'd hardly think about the political dimension the military plays in contributing to your nation's peace and security. Or rather, it is often discussed in passing during spare time in the bunk and the conversations tend to be highly uninformed - as a result, these geopolitical discussions leave one feeling more bewildered and bamboozled than enlightened.

I don't know, maybe the above is a quirk of being in a conscript military (about a decade back anyway), but as time passed, when I was done with my two years of service, when I started working, started thinking about starting a family, started having a better understanding of geopolitical machinations...at least for me, I finally understood my purpose in serving. Annual reservist trainings became much less of a drudge when you have a clearer understanding of what you are doing to contribute to your nation's peace and security. Suddenly, you stop taking these things for granted, and it becomes really personal.

I'm not saying that you need to have these answers before making a decision, but I do wish someone asked me those questions before I got into uniform back then, to set me down this path of self-reflection. It would make the ups and downs more bearable, and the time spent way more meaningful.
 

Todjaeger

Potstirrer
I don't know, maybe the above is a quirk of being in a conscript military (about a decade back anyway), but as time passed, when I was done with my two years of service, when I started working, started thinking about starting a family, started having a better understanding of geopolitical machinations...at least for me, I finally understood my purpose in serving. Annual reservist trainings became much less of a drudge when you have a clearer understanding of what you are doing to contribute to your nation's peace and security. Suddenly, you stop taking these things for granted, and it becomes really personal.

I'm not saying that you need to have these answers before making a decision, but I do wish someone asked me those questions before I got into uniform back then, to set me down this path of self-reflection. It would make the ups and downs more bearable, and the time spent way more meaningful.
An important consideration is not just potential political, about also legal implications, of military service.

Service in the armed forces of a foreign state, and the typically requisite oath of allegiance, can be grounds for a loss of US citizenship. It is not an absolute, but the potential impact of that is something which IMO should be weighed carefully prior to making such an important decision.
 

Toblerone

Banned Member
I did my mandatory military service in 2013. I was chosen for an elite ceremonial unit and sun, heat, pain, sweat and suffering became my life. There is no way that I could pull through all that without national pride and the pride of being in the most revered unit of the army. (Misguided notions according to some, doesn't matter)

I am very skeptical about how much physical and mental stress someone can take, when he is just a jobber for a foreign army. I would feel a mercenary at best, a pawn at worst.

Also, Jack is in high school, I am not sure if he understands how dry military life can be, especially so far away from home. The army is its own pocket dimension. Just my 2c.
 
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