Mythos Légion étrangère. Mai avere paura. Erinnerungen eines italienischen Legionärs

In 1995, Danilo Pagliaro received the coveted Kepi blanc and joined the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) in Orange under his new name, Pedro Perrini. He soon departed for numerous missions in the Balkans and, most notably, in sub-Saharan Africa.

Pagliaro's book quickly became a bestseller in Italy. Looking back on 20 years of service, he succeeded in painting an authentic, highly emotional picture of the Legion, free from foolish prejudices or distorted fantasies of violence.

Hilarious and deeply moving anecdotes immerse the reader in a roller coaster of emotions.

"I am often asked if I suffer from trauma. Indeed, I have seen things of unimaginable brutality, about which true legionnaires, real soldiers, never speak, and which I have deliberately excluded from this book.

Such things are not talked about. It is simply not done.

After the initial shock, one recovers quickly, because my comrades and I were sent there precisely to put an end to this barbarity.

I will never forget the grateful looks of the men, women, and children when we combed through the neighborhoods street by street in the hell of Bangui in 1996, pulling them from their hiding places and bringing them to safety from the rebels.

I believe it was these looks, the realization that we legionnaires were fulfilling such an important mission, that ultimately saved me from trauma."