The Aquitaynian Foreign Legion
Us Famblen Freir Tas
Grustyez Nyei Aqvitanye>>The Grustyez Nyei Aqvitanye, or in English, the Aquitaynian Foreign Legion, is a contingent of the Aquitaynian Army that was established in 1924, under orders of Her Majesty Queen Lisa II, in hopes to bolster troop numbers before a large conflict involving regional powers. It has since participated in every armed conflict Aquitayne has been embroiled in, and will do so again whenever necessary. The Aquitaynian Foreign Legion is unique within Astyria, and indeed the world, due to the inherent nature of the legion; it is comprised solely of men and of which these men about 98% are from countries other than Aquitayne.
The Legion grants foreigners seeking to escape their previous lives, for whatever reason, and begin anew within the United Kingdom. Upon enlistment to the Legion, it is a tradition as well as part of adherence to international law that the enlistee hand over his passport as the first item to be given to the Legion, signifying the closing of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. On the same night enlistees arrive at the Legion training center, they will observe the burning of each of their passports as they prepare to become Legionnaires.
While over 90% of the officers within the Legion are of Aquitaynian origin, there are notable exceptions: Colonel Alexander Stark is originally from the Kingdom of Kelonna, and Uncle to their respective King, but has gained his Aquitaynian citizenship and likewise - as an Aquitaynian citizen - took Officer Selection Course to become an Officer in the Aquitaynian Army and the Legion. The Legion is known today as a unit whose training focuses not only on traditional military skills but also on its strong esprit de corps.
The current policy of the Legion permits individuals who have committed crimes below the severity of murder, rape, or kidnapping; who are not on any international terrorist watch list or no-fly list; who may have committed crimes but served the sentenced time; who are seeking to escape their current nation for legal, personal, or extraneous reasons, to enlist into the Legion and go through the training process to gain full Aquitaynian citizenship under a new name.
The current term for a Legionnaire is a starting contract of 5-6 years mandatory service. This includes roughly 1 year of training.
There has also been an agreement between the government of Aquitayne and Romberg signed since the Legion's inception in 1924. This agreement states that if any Rombergian conscript chooses to extend their enlistment voluntarily, they are then eligible to enlist in the Aquitaynian Foreign Legion, and serve with the Legion for the duration of their military contract. This has lead to a strong espirit de corps within what is known as the Rombergian Regiment, also called the Wikingr, for their Norse heritage, is a regiment comprised of Aquitaynian Officers and Rombergian enlistees. To date, roughly 15 Rombergian soldiers have died in service of the Legion, and were buried in neutral ground in the Rombergian Arctic Isles with both Rombergian and Legionnaire military honors. Additionally, roughly 1,000 Rombergians currently serve within the Legion.
What We Are>>While the Aquitaynian Foreign Legion does accept individuals with a criminal past, the Legion no longer serves as a safe haven for criminals who have committed haneous acts under international law, or sovereign law that would demand the extradition of such individuals back to their nation of origin; do note: Aquitayne has, and will, extradite individuals back to their nation of citizenship to face pending criminal charges if such charges are deemed by a judge to be merited of such action.
That being said, the Legion does serve as a new home for people who are looking for adventure, camaraderie, espirit de corps, and to leave their old life behind and start a new one fresh from start. The Legion allows you to dictate your future and empowers you to go into the world a new, experienced, and better individual than you were before you came to us, and make our country a better place for it.
In a more military mindset, the Legion is a military unit which serves under the Field Marshal of the Army, and which takes orders directly from His Majesty the King. The Legion has served in every conflict Aquitayne has been a part of since 1924, and currently has over 6,000 men within its ranks. These men are trained extensively in their fields of expertise and the Legion is expected - and able - to operate as a homogeneous body from other military units; in other words, the Legion is self-contained and able to support itself without outside help.
Where We Are>>The Aquitaynian Foreign Legion is currently stationed in Ceria, Aquitayne. Many of its soldiers are preparing for deployment overseas to Insula Fera, for humanitarian operations.
In Aquitayne, there are multiple locations where an individual can enlist to the Legion:
- Telora, Aquitayne
- Helm, Aquitayne
- Tacor, Aquitayne
- Aqines, Aquitayne
- Cape Town, Aquitayne
When: A History>>The Legion was formed in 1924 under orders of Her Majesty Lisa II, in an effort to bolster the troop numbers of Aquitayne in the face of a large scale invasion from the Blackhelm Confederacy. The Confederacy had recently embargoed their western neighbors over disputes of the distribution of trade wealth and their control over the sea lanes across the Mare Ferum; while this conflict did not lead to a large scale war, the effects of the incident would reverberate throughout he century, all through the Legion.
The incident lasted for more than a few months, and as such, the prospect of complete abolition of crimes and the idea of a new, better, and happier life in Aquitayne drew many criminals to the Legionnaires' ranks. Though the Legion no longer accepts all criminals, those with less-than-shining pasts are more than welcome.
After the incident with the Confederacy, there was a large influx of ex-Confederate soldiery who either defected or left when their service was complete, to the Legion. The Legion grew within 10 years from a Company of 150 men to a Brigade of 7,630. The Legion would grow exponentially until a military-wide downsize in the late 1970's. However, the strength and espirit de corps would be formed long before that downsizing would occur.
In the Battle of Barents Bay, in Cape Town, Insula Fera, Aquitaynian Legionnaires fought off thousands of native rebels who assaulted the small fishing village of Peit. Over 100 Legionnaires lost their lives in defense of the citizenry of the town, and miraculously, not one civilian was killed. Over 2,000 rebels were killed.
Today, the Legion consists of roughly 8,500 men.
How: Enlisting>>There are currently two ways to enlist into the Aquitaynian Foreign Legion: 1) to personally come to Aquitayne and enlist in an Aquitaynian Foreign Legion Recruitment Post, or to fill out the application below and forward it to our offices at the Ministry of Defense. When this document has been received, we will review it and inform you via phone call whether your application has been accepted. If it has, it is expected of you to board the next flight out of your country to Aquitayne, or via connections thereof; the Ministry of Defense will reimburse all travel expenses whence you have completed training. The form is as follows:
- Code: Select all
[box][align=center][img]https://i.imgur.com/RZ5dDj5.png[/img]
[size=150]Application for Enlistment to the Aquitaynian Foreign Legion[/size][/align][hr][/hr]
[b]Full Name (Last, First, Middle):[/b]
[b]Age & Date of Birth (Age, dd/mm/yy):[/b]
[b]Current Ethnicity (familial heritage):[/b]
[b]Current Nation of Residence:[/b]
[b]Current Nationality (the nation you are a citizen of):[/b]
[b]Criminal Record:[/b]
[b]Do you have any outstanding warrants?:[/b]
[b]Have you ever been or currently are a member of a terrorist or insurgent organisation?:[/b]
[b]Do you have any military training?:[/b]
[b]If yes, please describe in-depth:[/b]
[b]If yes, please state your last military rank:[/b]
[b]Skills:[/b]
[b]Do you or your family have a history of mental illness?[/b]
[b]Next-of-kin:[/b]
[b]Below, please write a brief summary of your life, accomplishments, and failures:[/b]
[b]Below, please state briefly why you wish to join the Foreign Legion:[/b][/box]
Why>>We cannot tell you the reasons why you should join the Legion. What we have to offer has already been put on the table and from here it is up to you where you wish your destiny to take you. The Legion will not seek you out, the Legion will not make accommodations, and the Legion will not beg you enlist whence you show interest. It is your responsibility, and yours solely, to ensure the progress of your enlistment goes smoothly and that you are prepared for what is yet to come.
