Mon Legionnaire

Camarone Day is celebrated annually on April 30th to commemorate the 1863 battle between a small detachment of the French Foreign Legion and Mexican troops during the Second Franco-Mexican War. The day is revered by the Legion which celebrates the battle as a symbol of valor, sacrifice and devotion to duty.  In fact, the theme for this year’s celebration is “La noblesse de servir” or “The Nobility of Serving”.  The theme highlights the “Legion’s tradition of service, honor, and commitment, particularly through aristocratic or royal individuals who joined its ranks (e.g., Prince Aage of Denmark, along with references to figures like Prince Louis Napoleon and the Comte de Paris). It ties into a related temporary exhibition at the Musée de la Légion étrangère in Aubagne titled “Noblesse de Servir: Képi blanc et têtes couronnées” (running from late April 2026 into early 2027).”  Attending the ceremony will be Prince Albert II of Monaco as he has done several times before.

Every unit of the Foreing Legion celebrates this day no matter where they might be located or deployed but the primary Camerone Day event is held at the headquarters for the Foreign Legion at Aubagne, France.  This is where the wooden hand of Captain Danjou is removed from the museum and carried down the parade ground known as the“voie sacrée”  or sacred way.  Each year there is a prominent legionnaire designated to carry the hand.  These men so honored with this task are usually retired from active service that saw significant service time with the Foreign Legion and the French armed forces.  However this year the designated porteur de la main (bearer of Captain Danjou’s wooden hand) is the currently serving Général d’armée Thierry Burkhard.  Burkhart was a former officer of the 2e REP and 13e DBLE and former Chief of the Defense Staff from July 2021 to September 2025.  The porteur is typically accompanied by veteran non-commissioned officers and Burkhart’s two companions will be Chief Warrant Officer Jörgen Madsen, who joined the Legion in 1955 (from Denmark) and served for 33 years in the Legion in the 3rd REI, 1st RE and 2nd REI. Madsen was injured twice and was cited three times. The second will be Chief Warrant Officer Luigi Da Pont an Italian who entered the Legion in 1961 and served with the 2nd REP, 13th DBLE and 1st ER. Da Pont was also mentioned twice for awards.  The procession often includes the traditional bearded pioneers/sappers (in full ceremonial dress with aprons and axes) marching slowly at the front or around the carrier. Tradition holds that the hand is shown to the assembled Legionnaires as a symbol of courage, fidelity, and the Legion’s spirit. After the ceremony, the hand returns to the museum. The day often includes further events awards, speeches and concludes with something akin to a fair when the base holds an open house for the public.  When night falls and the events are over the Legion takes the next day or two for some “team building events” lubricated by plenty of camaraderie and Kronenbourg beer.  .

This recounting of the Battle of Camerone is from the men’s adventure magazine (aka a MAM) Cavalier from January 1958.  The author is Wyatt Blassingame, an American writer and the author of many short stories and articles of various genres, both fiction and nonfiction, that appeared in the pulps and magazines.  In the 1930s, Blassingame wrote for the “Weird menace” horror pulps such as Terror Tales and Dime Mystery. He served in WW2 in the U.S. Navy and he used this experience in many of his articles. Blassingame also wrote four adult novels and dozens of juvenile nonfiction books to include an entry in the Landmark book series: The French Foreign Legion.  This article plays loosely with the facts, favoring the narrative and action and is easily readable.  The illustration is by William George.  (See the higher resolution illustration below.) If you want to see the entire magazine here is the link.

They Didn’t Know How to Quit

Here are some miscellaneous web posts and pages related to the Battle of Camerone and it’s celebration that you might find interesting.

1. Camerone A.C.  This is the official page of the French and Mexican organization dedicated to maintaining the Battle of Camerone memorial in Veracruz, Mexico and to keeping alive the “Duty of Memory” regarding that historical event.  It was founded in 1960, a couple years ahead of the 100th Anniversary of the battle.  There are plenty of pictures of the 1963 (100 Years) commemoration event held there.  Also the site provides the French account of the battle and the official Mexican report from that time.  As you might expect, over the years this location has become a well established place to visit and provides a tourist route for those interested.  There are memorials held each April 30th with a decent Foreign Legion delegation present as well as regional and diplomatic dignitaries.

2. Foreign Legion Info–Camerone Invitation Cards.  Over at Foreign Legion Info you can see examples of various invitations to Camerone celebrations held over the years and among different Legion units and locations.  Some appear as typical formal invitations, typically addressed to senior guests such as garrison commanders or local military and civilian authorities. Others are more informal and hand written and decorated by the unit and probably issued to a much smaller list of guests.  Remember that each Foreign Legion unit has it’s own celebration no matter where it might be stationed or deployed.  I honestly never saw Camerone invitation cards before but I can see why they were used.  During my days in the Army I’ve seen how our protocol offices (usually for General officer ranks) would arrange large events and would invite local dignitaries and foreign officers to attend with similar invitations.  I had to check my digital hoard to see if I might have found one of these but no such luck.  Also, Foreign Legion Info offers up a very well done summary of the battle here.

3. They Carried Captain Danjou’s Hand.  Here is a list (page 2) of those selected to carry the hand of Captian Danjou during the primary Camerone ceremonies held between 1946 to 2017.  It’s interesting that Colonel Marie Pierre André Merlet (1879-1956) carried the hand in 1947, 1948 and 1949. It’s in French so you might have to use a translator app to read it in English.

4. The History Guy: The history of the French Foreign Legion’s Wooden Hand.  Here’s a short video on the Foreign Legion and the Hand of Danjou.  He annoying but it’s not a bad explanation of how and why the Legion celebrates Camerone Day and revere the Hand of Captain Danjou as their holy relic.

5. Captain Danjou Tells the Story of the Battle of Camerone. Found this one on Reddit.  They have a good page there on the Foreign Legion and also this goofy video featuring Juan Joya Borja, popularly known as “El Risitas,” a Spanish comedian and actor. (Sorry in advance).

SOF Staffer Risks Life and Liver with French Foreign Legion by G. B. Crouse (SOF Associate Editor)

The 163rd Camerone Day is coming up fast (30 April) so I’m searching through my pile of related bits and pieces for worthy items to post and found this item.  The article is from the April 1989 issue of Soldier of Fortune Magazine (SOF).  I remember clearly reading this one back in 1989 as I had a subscription to SOF for almost my entire 20 years in the U.S. Army.  I would have been in Hawaii, my second duty station for almost a year, still a single barracks rat and thought the title “21 Beers a Day” was pretty cool as it accurately described some of my own off duty time. It relates a visit to France by the author and observance of the Camerone celebration with combat divers of the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment (6REG) in Avignon and later on a spur of the moment visit to the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1REC) in nearby Orange, Vaucluse.   This second visit turned out to be “very interesting” for all involved.  It’s worth a read even though he didn’t provide much description of the actual ceremony, just the after parties. I’m not sure what year this occurred.  I’m assuming .  This article has a nice sidebar anecdote too; sidebars, call-outs and fact boxes are something SOF used often.

NOTE: The 6REG became the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1REG), in 1999. In 2014 the 1REC moved, after 47 years in Orange, to Camp Carpiagne near Marseilles.

France on 21 Beers a Day