All posts by CREUSS

Story

The Bamboo Cage

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By CREUSS

stories by CREUSSWe were settled in a remote island, far from our base…

This island was quite isolated, and a desert… Actually we were the only ones on this island, a group of 25 legionnaires, 3 NCOs and an Officer.

We were here to be protect a wide area of sea… Don’t ask details, it was “Secret Défense”…

Days were boring. We had 2 shifts of 12 hours…

A team of 3 was on duty at the top of the hills, where you can have a large view at sea…

Another team of 3 was patrolling up and down the island…

Others were either resting, either working on the settlement for food, laundry, etc…

When not on duty, we were able to go at sea, and swim… it was a paradise on earth for the sightseeing, but it was boring days after days…

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Story

Deserter

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By CREUSS

Part 1

stories by CREUSSI was enjoying spending a couple of hours, on weekends, at my local café… Not for drinking, but for the company… It was a nice friendly place, where some legionnaires used to come and have a drink too!

Not a noisy place, or somewhere they were drinking too much, but a place where they used to come and have a rest.

Actually, it was not a “bar à soldats”, where they were most of the customers, as they exist around stations, or barracks, but a place where they sometimes come, where they expect to be no more than “normal” customers…

As a matter of fact, weeks after weeks, it became obvious that most of the soldiers here were regular customers, and actually, they were quite a few to come… probably no more than 15 from the local barracks… but every week-end, 3 to 5 were always here…

I started to get used to see them after a few months, and they were used to the locals too! But they did not mix with the public easily…

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Story

POW For Training…

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By CREUSS

stories by CREUSSHere they are…

Three men, captured…

They are not proper prisoners. Just soldiers like me, but from another company, captured a few hours earlier just for this mock battle…

They are sitting on the ground, back to a tree.

If they had no handcuffs in their back, around the tree, to prevent them to leave their place, we could think they are just resting for a while.

I am exhausted…

It is our fifth day in the countryside, fighting for training.

I’m still OK, but I haven’t properly slept for five days (and nights). No problem, it is always like that… it is part of the training…

I look at them, and notice they look quiet, peaceful and actually, they are sleeping. Lucky them!

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Story

Night Walk to the Barracks

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By CREUSS

stories by CREUSSOnce more, it is a true story…

I have been a soldier for a couple of years. The army was the kind of life I always wanted to get, and I did not regret to leave everything of my previous life behind. As a matter of fact, I would say today we had some odd way to behave, compare to the life I have now, after I left the army. But in the past, it was not rare to have odd way to behave, and get punished for that…I won’t make any psychology right here, and will tell you what happened one day…

The officer decided I was to be punished.

Don’t ask why, I probably deserved it…He wanted to teach me a lesson. So I was to be ready at 8PM, standing at attention, just in front of my squad building.

After dinner by 6.30 PM, I get prepared. I was dressed in standard battledress. In the ’80s, they used to be plain green. Just before 8.00, I arrived on the spot, and stood at attention. I waited about 3 hours, not moving, and not seeing anybody. Of course some soldier mates were passing through, but no officer. I was getting tired and wondering if I won’t spend all night here.

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Story

Intercepted in a Train

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By CREUSS

stories by CREUSSOnce more, it is a true story …

As you will discover in the text, I was not “100% conscious” at all time, so I will tell you things how they happened really, not as I felt them on the spot. To make the text easier to read, I will also include at their place some facts I did not know, but I’ve been told later then…

I was young. I was well built, sporty and in good shape. Since the previous year, I had my hair cut high and tight, even if it was not exactly the US army regulations … anyway, I was looking like either a young soldier or a skinhead…

Summer was hot, and I passed my exams the month before. It was time to decide what to do for my future…

I always had a fascination for the army. My family was not accepting it, as they were rather antimilitarist. Anyway, I took the benefit of my summer break to tour around and get information about what I could do. After the army career centre I had all I need on the administration side. But I wanted to know more about the real life in the army…

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