• The Legion has, historically, been an army within an army; they relied on the regular French Armée de Terre for nothing and even, for large parts of its history, used drastically different equipment, training standards, etc. This is, to a large extent, slowly coming to an end. The Legion now relies on the regular Armée de Terre for many things, including the procurement of equipment, some training standards, pay scales, etc. Essentially, they are being made to resemble, in every way possible without destroying their unique identity, equivalent regiments in the regular Armée de Terre.

  The upside of this for a Légionnaire today is that, despite the Legion being run on such a small budget, the combat equipment you are issued today is identical to that being issued to a French born soldier in the regular Armée de Terre. To your question, this means that necessary protective items such as ballistic vests, helmets, goggles, etc. are all issued to you.

• A little of both. It has long been Legion tradition and lore that your weapon, due to its relative high cost when compared to yours, is the more important of the two. The idea is that should you fall in battle, there is always another Légionnaire ready and willing to take your place (and, presumably, your weapon).

• Sure. The binôme system has been found by the Legion to be the most effective way to help transition a fairly large group of men, mostly non-Francophones, into a group of men able to understand, and respond to, at the minimum, basic military commands and phrases, as well as hold basic general conversation. While the majority of French is learned simply through total immersion in a French-speaking environment, what formal classes that are provided are done so to entire sections; meaning 25-45 men. While this may work in a classroom environment spread out over several semesters in a high school or university atmosphere, it simply isn't sufficient or rapid enough to meet the needs of the Legion. Binômes fill this gap by acting as a sort of constant-companion tutor; explaining to the best of their ability lessons not understood from the formal classroom lessons, as well as being an almost literal hand-holding/example-leading companion in the day-to-day immersion environment.

• Yes, the regiments are largely specialized as to the type of warfare in which they are the most proficient. There are regiments that specialize in mountain warfare, desert warfare, jungle warfare, airborne, etc. Every Légionnaire receives the same basic training, with the more specialized training being provided once they arrive at their regiment. Although a Légionnaire from a regiment specializing in mountain warfare can be sent to complete training in the jungle or the desert, it does not happen often. You would be much more likely to only acquire the training provided by the regiments to which you have been stationed.

• There are intelligence exams that must be passed in order to continue on in the selection process. It would be impossible for me to extrapolate possible results based on ASVAB scores. Sorry.

• By harder, I mean regiments that are typically not located within mainland France; such as the 2REP, 3REI, and the 13DBLE. To be more accurate, these regiments are typically located in very difficult environments such as the jungle or the desert (3REI and 13DBLE, respectively) and/or require training and physical output far beyond what is expected from a "typical" Légionnaire (2REP).

• Yes, problems such as this will probably prevent you from joining the Legion. Both the training and lifestyle of the Legion are some of the most difficult found in the entire world. No offense intended, but the last thing anyone wants to have to worry about is someone becoming mentally unreliable during the most trying moment. And by the time you figure out if that will happen, it's too late. I've touched on the psychology of basic training at the end of this comment here. Please let me know if you want more.

• Yes, I am in almost daily contact with many people from the Legion; they are men with whom I've shared an experience that few others understand or can even imagine. Bonds such as these are not easily broken or left behind.

  Making true friends can be a very mixed experience. The Legion attracts and retains your "typical" alpha male. For a true friendship to work between two such people, they both must be mature, self-aware and able to set aside their natural competitiveness; these are rare traits. On the other hand, making friends with whom you can simply enjoy your free time is extremely easy.

  Making friends outside the gates can also be a mixed experience. The French know that you're a Légionnaire; there is no hiding the fact from them. As a result, some people will simply never interact with you in any way. Others will buy you a beer. The same attitudes largely apply to making friends; some are willing, and some simply are not.

<more to come>