3e REI: Legionnaires protecting Ariane 5 launch

On November 17, 2016, the Ariane 5 rocket successfully took off from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. It launched four Galileo satellites into orbit to support Europe’s own satellite navigation system. Legionnaires from the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI), the Foreign Legion’s regiment based in Guiana, protected the launch.

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2016: 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Belloy-en-Santerre

On July 4, 2016, the Foreign Legion commemorated the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Belloy-en-Santerre. The battle, which occurred on July 4, 1916 near the river Somme in the Picardy region of northern France, was part of the Battle of Somme, the largest battle of the First World War on the Western Front. That day, hundreds of legionnaires were killed within a few hours, including the American poet Alan Seeger.

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