PHOTOS: Golden Age of Foreign Legion Veterans’ Handcrafted Products (1975–1992)

A new part of the PHOTOS series. Today, we explore the now-discontinued products from the workshops of the Foreign Legion Institution for Disabled Veterans (IILE), which were prominently showcased in vibrant, regular color advertisements in Képi Blanc, the French Foreign Legion’s magazine, from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s.

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70 years ago: A large center for Foreign Legion disabled veterans was completed

In May 1955, a large semicircular building in southern France, containing 200 beds and modern medical and support facilities, was completed and inaugurated. It opened to wounded legionnaires as a center for their professional and social reintegration. As the Legion’s needs evolved after the 1950s, the institution adapted to new challenges, housing older, often solitary individuals facing personal hardships.

Read more70 years ago: A large center for Foreign Legion disabled veterans was completed