Fake Soldiers

At the site Cervens.net, there’s a forum dedicated to the French Foreign Legion. This forum has ca. 10000 members and have existed for a long time. The forums have two types of members: Non-Legionnaires and Legionnaires.

At first sight, the forum seems legitimate. But soon, one will discover that there’s something wrong. We joined the forum and were surprised about the behaviour of some of the members, especially those who claim to be Legionnaires. In reality, they are not Legionnaires. The recruits are disrespectfully labeled as “wannabees”. There are a few real soldiers on the forum, but they are not much active.

The problem with the forum is that if you disclose your plans to join the French Foreign Legion, the members will certainly put you down and discourage you. They make it seem like the Legion is something unattainable and the “authority” of the fake Legionnaires is almost infallible. The fake Legionnaires get so much respect, it’s scary. Some of the members brag openly about their violence and the fake Legionnaires seem so harsh and they have little compassion for the “wannabees”.

We were a member of this forum for a while, to investigate. We were shocked that so many people will spend their time on a forum just to talk about nothing. There’s very little practical information about the Legion and certainly no “inside” information. To be on this forum is a waste of energy. For a real soldier, it could be a good laugh.

We recommend that if you have serious plans to join the Legion, you should not go on a forum and disclose your plans. It’s wise to keep your plans private instead of getting discouraged by a gang of fake soldiers.