Soldier or psychologist, what's best: 5 by thadeusz

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11. My new Legion life instruction

2 days later, I was called by the Colonel commanding my regiment. This big and important chief told me that I would start my Sanitary Auxiliary training in Castelnaudary the following Monday, thus just a week after I came back from my first serious leave. I was really pleased since this represents exactly what I failed in the Belgian Army when I tried to become NCO.

But the Colonel also added that I could apply for RSM, i.e. getting my real name back. This was even better since that was the name I had used for my studies in the Belgian University. I would thus be Andrew Tremmer once again, a name I had nearly forgotten since I had been forced to rejoin the Legion ! But that was not done yet !

I went as ordered to Castelnaudary where I was very well trained to become a good military nurse. Courses were given in French and this was easy for me since I had been raised in Canada where I spoke French (and English). This training lasted for 4 months. From time to time, I had a weekend leave and I could thus go to Paris where I could meet my girlfriend (and make love with her in a very accepted way).

At the end of this 4 month period, I got my AuxSan diploma (an AuxSan is a military nurse). This happened at the end of April. On the same day, I learned that I could use my own name again. I was now for real Legionnaire Alan Tremmer, not only Legionnaire but also Corporal !

I was supposed to go back to the Legion regiment to which I "belonged". That’s another difference with regiments of the regular French Army: there you are a "member" of a regiment, but in the Legion you "belong" to a regiment, as if you were a full property of that regiment.

In my case, I was back to the Legion for slightly less than a year and I already got the right to use my real name, this was much better than the situation of my roommates who had to wait for at least 1 year or more before they could be "rectified", i.e. get their real name back.
But the officer in charge explained to all of us that the authorities had taken into account my previous 4 years. As a consequence, I was not authorized to discuss this (as is usual for a Legion order) or to try to keep my Legion ID anymore.

I was temporarily assigned to Military Hospital Laveran, near Marseille, where I was assigned to the psychiatric department. There I was told that I had to pay special attention to soldiers with PTSD. I liked that since this was precisely the subject of the Master Thesis I had started in the University of Brussels. As a now good legionnaire I simply obeyed the orders without thinking further, and without asking further questions.

I was placed under the direct supervision of a Lieutenant who was a psychologist and who was in charge of psychological troubles in the army, for this region.

At the end of July, my supervisor informed me that the Legion had enrolled me in a master program at the Universities of Provence and in Brussels simultaneously. My former stages and exams in the University of Brussels had automatically been validated. I thus had only to write a Master Thesis in order to become a full Psychologist. The cost of all these enrollments would be taken from my Legionnaire pay, and I was not allowed to object.

Moreover it was strongly suggested that I asked for an additional 2 years contract in order to compensate for the one year in the Hospital. Obediently I did that, noting mentally that the Legion initially wanted me for a 10 year civilian contract and that they now have me for a 9 year military contract (or more, I did no longer count). The essential part of all this was that after one year in the Hospital Laveran, I would finally be a full psychologist. I was thus pleased with my future.

I had several leaves in the course of all this.

Finally, at the end of July of my second year in my "back to the Legion" stint, I was also informed that I had now started my first "one year" additional contract. I must confess that I had stopped counting my "additional" years since I was convinced that I was now in the Legion for ever and ever.

I was assigned permanently to Hospital Laveran and told that my haircut had to respect, from now on, specific norms: not a single hair or stubble visible outside the white bonnet that I had to wear while I was with patients. This was specifically true, for sanitary reasons, when I was in surgery. This implied that I had to adopt (in fact accept) a new haircut.

As of that day, my head was completely shaved on the side and neck, not a stubble was allowed to remain visible. This was also valid for the top of my head except for a very small part of the top of my head where I was allowed to keep 3 mm long hairs. And this was regularly inspected by a Sergeant who was also a nurse. Moreover, I had to take a complete shower everyday, head included, with a special disinfectant product. On top of the head I head to wear permanently, while on duty, a white military style bonnet covering all my head and provided with an emblem showing that I belonged to the Legion. Nurses and doctors members of other regiments had their own emblems on their bonnets. On this bonnet, there was also an indication concerning the present rank of the soldier wearing it.

In my case I had on my bonnet a Legion emblem and a symbol showing that I was a Legionnaire 1st class. I also had a special white uniform with my name and rank on my breast pocket.

Besides that, I was told to keep my usual uniform when I was not on duty, which did not happen often.

Nevertheless, I considered that working in a hospital where life is constantly changing, is more fun than being mostly in barracks, bored with little training and lots of chores. But I was careful and I did not say so to my fellow military nurses. In fact, I did no longer mind being subject to harsh military discipline: I had forgotten my free student life.

I lived in a small room with one fellow military male nurse, and this was a great progress. This fellow’s name was Pierre, he was French and a member of the regular Army with much more liberty, but I did not mind that: Pierre, who was a Corporal, liked to go out during his free time while I was more confined to the Hospital since I was only a Legionnaire 1st Class.

All this enabled me to continue writing the Master thesis I had started in Brussels. I worked under the supervision of the officer psychologist who supervised me since my arrival in the Hospital. Luckily, I succeeded in getting all my data sent to me by a friend from Brussels.

I was also allowed to write without control to my Belgian supervisor. This gave me the possibility to write more or less freely to my girlfriend without too many risks and without great problems, except once after a control during which I was punished for writing that I dislike my lack of freedom: free outings were suppressed as far as I was concerned and I had to stay in the hospital or in its garden, and of course in uniform.

At the end of September of my second year, I was suddenly told that I had to go to the Corporal stage. There I had to train for 2 months, doing all kinds of sports but also exercises preparing me to command a small group of legionnaires. I did not like this very much since it interrupted my research with a very interesting patient, but I could not do anything else than OBEY a direct order. Anyway, I considered that this was a holiday for me since I was still not allowed to leave the Hospital grounds. I ended this rather brutal training first of the lot, I got another stripe and I was sent back at the end of November to my Hospital after a short 2 weeks leave, with this time the authorization to go to Brussels.

During my stay in Brussels I visited my former professor in the University of Brussels: he was one of the men who cured me after my bad fall. This professor was also my present adviser since the Legion forced me to have a double enrollment. I discussed my Master thesis with this professor and he gave me good advice, as well concerning my scientific research as concerning my situation in the Legion.

I also had lots of free time to be spent with my girlfriend who was now a certified psychologist.

I was then told by my commanding officer that, since I had had a "long" leave, it would be good for me as Corporal of the Legion to go back to my former regiment, the 13 DBLE, a very active regiment. I would serve there as a sanitary auxiliary and helper for the Chief Adjutant in charge of the psychological help for legionnaires coming back from fighting missions. As a now seasoned legionnaire, I knew better now than discussing such an order and I left my comfortable room in the hospital, and my friendly roommate, for the rigors I had known in my former regiment.

I had now decided to do more scientific research and in this regiment I used every free opportunity to write down (on a laptop I had bought in Marseille a special authorization) a Thesis based on the notes I had made in Brussels and on the observations I made in Hospital Laveran. Luckily, as a Corporal in the Medical department, I could ask for a room for myself alone, arguing that I might have to move at every moment.

When Christmas time arrived I took a joyful part to my second legion Christmas. I was even congratulated by my Colonel for my progress as a Legionnaire.

But ! In the Legion, there is always a "But". Now that I was no longer in a Hospital, I had slowly, slightly and gradually changed my haircut : the full top of my head was now covered with reasonably short hair and the sides and neck were cut to 2 mm but not blank !

One day, I was called to my Colonel’s office and my chief told me that he does not like my new haircut: the Colonel considered that was not appropriate for a Corporal doing my present type of job. He ordered me to "arrange things as before" and gave me, as a nice present, 8 days in the brig for "behavior incompatible with his function"

The same day, I went to the barber and, without any joy, I asked him to give me back my previous haircut. I knew that my girlfriend would not like this, so I warned her calmly, by mail. I also expàlained why I had to do it.

In June, my thesis was finally ready despite all the delays imposed by my present situation. I sent it, as an unofficial version, by mail to my good advisor in Brussels. Rapidly, this intelligent and kind professor gave me the green light.

Immediately after, I sent an electronic official copy to the faculty in Brussels and to the faculty in Aix-Marseille.

In July, I officially got my Master diploma. I nevertheless continued my work in the regiment as I had done previously. But, I also asked for something else to the Legion main office, and it worked. At the end of August, I was told that on the basis of my Master diploma, I was sent to a one year course to become an officer psychologist. Ofcourse, there was something to pay for that: I had first to sign a 5 years additional contract, which I would have to serve even if I failed to become a real officer. I accepted these conditions, I went to a special school in Brittany and I came back as a 2nd Lieutenant.

There was another progress. During my time in this special school, I had been asked whether I wanted to remain in the group of foreign officers, despite my French nationality, or if he wanted to become a fully French officer.

I thought about this proposal and I chose the latter, without explaining why. I thus became a Legion French 2nd Lieutenant.

But, as soon as I became a 2nd LT and an officer psychologist, I asked that instead of having all my contracts with the Legion contracts, he could become a French career officer specifying that I had in fact paid myself for all my studies. I also asked to be transferred from my Legion regiment to a non Legion regiment.

I had asked this directly to the Minister and, despite the objections of the Legion, I became a career officer as a French citizen and no longer as a legion officer.

I got married with my girlfriend and I remained in the French Army, in a military hospital near Paris where my Master thesis on PTSD is highly regarded.

I do not have a complete headshave anymore.

end of the story

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