2e REI: A legionnaire died in Iraq | French Foreign Legion Information

Yesterday, March 21, 2018, a legionnaire of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) died in Iraq. Since February 2018, with his platoon, he was involved in Operation Chammal to train Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF). In August 2018, he would have completed his fifth year in the Legion.

Born in Poland in 1987, Corporal Bogusz Pochylski joined the Foreign Legion as a volunteer in mid-August 2013. In January 2014, after the initial selection and four months of basic training, legionnaire Pochylski was assigned to the Combat Support Company (CA, ex-CEA), 2e REI in Nimes, southern France. Because of his determination and military qualities, he was selected to the Landing Support Platoon (SAED), an elite platoon of the regiment.

With his unit, he deployed to French Guiana from September 2014 to January 2015 and to Ivory Coast in Africa in 2016. Later that year, he went through the two-month Corporal Course and was named Corporal in January 2017. The same year, he participated in Operation Sentinelle in France. In February 2018, his unit deployed to Iraq to join Operation Chammal (a French operation against the so-called Islamic State, since 2014), as part of the Task Force Narvik, to train Iraqi counter terrorism elements.

Corporal Bogusz Pochylski, 31, was seriously injured during a reconnaissance mission conducted in support of the Iraqi forces training, and died from his injuries in a military hospital a few hours later.

In May 2017, two legionnaires of the 2e REI died in France during an exercise. In November 2017, another Polish legionnaire died in Djibouti, in Horn of Africa. At least 7 legionnaires from different regiments have died during their service duties in 2017.

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