HISTORY ON THE WALL: FORGOTTEN SOLDIER REMEMBERED ON THE WALL IN NICE

The site is the city of Nice in France. The year is 2013. I am on my way to my favourite restaurant for dinner. Walking in the old city of Nice is an interesting experience because on the walls you find historical information . The information has not been a subject for political selections or a selection of unwanted historical facts and events wanted to be forgotten to-day. The war in Vietnam was not an event to be highlighted among active French politicians. No. The First Indochina War from 1946 to 1954 was fought with assistance by The French Foreign Legion. The war did not go well. The French lost the war. On the wall of an old building in Nice, I get information about a person unknown to me. His name is: Etienne Lajouanie. He was killed in 1954 in Vietnam ( Indochina). A memorial plaque on the wall gives me some information about the man killed for France in a war that most of us want to forget: The war of Vietnam.
The French Foreign Legion or in French: Legion etrangere, was established in 1831 by the French King Louis Philippe. The legion is open to people from any nationality. Many Norwegians have served in the legion. The French Foreign Legion took part in the fighting of Narvik, Norway in 1940.
The German army lost the fight for Narvik. The French Foreign Legion is a military service of the French Army.

For those of you who are interested in the issue about why men join the French Foreign Legion in year 2013, I recommend you to read the books listed- written in Norwegian:Jan Bjørklund: Legionen er vårt fedreland. C.Huitfeldt  forlag.1981, Øystein Paulsen: Fremmedlegionen.Mine fem år som legionær. Orion. 1996, Elisabeth Nord: Min bror.Fremmedlegionen-drøm og brutal virkelighet.Schibsted forlag. 2008. Written in French: Pierre Sergent: Je ne regrette rien. La poignante histoire des  legionnaires parachutistes de 1er R.E.P.,Fayard.1972. If you want to view movies about the French Foreign Legion (Legion etrangere), I recommend the following films: " Legionnaire ", " La 317 Section ", " La Legion saute sur Kolwezi ", " L'ennemi intime " La battaglia di Algeri ", " Die Schlacht von Dien Bien Phu ", and finally the documentary: " La Legion Etrangere ". While reading the books and viewing the films, you have to ask yourself: Why? - Why do they join a fighting society and fighting challenges in year 2013? Wanted and not wanted: The fate of any professsional soldier. We need them when we are in danger but we do not want to mention it to friends - do we? On May 5, 1954, the young Norwegian sailor, Per Havn, is killed during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. He was only 19 years of age when he joined the French Foreign Legion in Marseille in France. Jan Bjørklund writes about Per Havn in his book mentioned. Every country has a history not to be told too often. Per Havn to the left in the photo from the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.