4e RE: 2026 Remise de Kepi blanc at the IILE in Puyloubier

In early March 2026, the Foreign Legion Institution for Disabled Veterans (IILE) in Puyloubier, southern France, hosted a White Kepi Ceremony (Remise de Képi blanc). During the ceremony, around thirty recruits from the 2nd Platoon, 1st Company of Enlisted Volunteers of the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) donned the iconic White kepi, took the Legion’s traditional oath to serve with “Honor and Fidelity,” and officially became legionnaires.

The ceremony took place on March 8, at the IILE, a retirement home for wounded, disabled, and aging legionnaires, located on the grounds of a former vineyard estate. The event was held in front of its main accommodation building, a semi-circular structure that includes living quarters and a dining facility, and which was officially opened in May 1955.

Prior to the ceremony, the recruits had spent four weeks at an isolated farm, an initial part of their four-month basic training. Then they had to complete the demanding two-day White Kepi March (Marche Képi Blanc), a mandatory march conducted in full gear and typically covering between 35 and 40 miles (50–65 km).

The event was presided over by General Youchtchenko, commander of the French Foreign Legion, accompanied by Colonel Delhumeau, commanding officer of the 4e RE. In addition to residents of the institution and local military and civilian authorities, several associations attended the ceremony, including representatives from the Foreign Legion veterans’ organization in Aubagne.

The IILE, which is currently home to around eighty retired legionnaires, is supported through a combination of donations from active legionnaires and civilian supporters, contributions from the Foreign Legion Mutual Aid Foyer (FELE), as well as income from its vineyards, a ceramics workshop, and an official online store.

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