Copain
An untranslatable term peculiar to the Foreign Legion, a copain is
your buddy, your partner, the one you share your cigarettes and alcohol
with. 'Best Friend' would be about the closest English term, in Marine
Corps speak 'bunkie', now unused. You watch each other's back. This is not a
situation like the Theban Sacred Band, you can look that up for
yourself. This is another idea I had for my Dien Bien Phu story.
There was an incident towards the end of the tragedy. A patrol of
soldiers tried to cross the length of the airfield to relieve an
isolated post, one of the Huguette emplacements. These men were under
immediate observation and drew pre-registered mortar fire at once. The
first round went off between their officer's legs. Even though the
soldiers were under extremely heavy shellfire they tried to bring the
lieutenant to safety. Seeing this, the young soldier drew his pistol
and killed himself rather than have his men harmed. This is one of the
greatest acts of bravery I have read about yet it is a typical, unknown
story that war produces so much of. I am amazed at how France
squandered their best men in this pointless battle. Tomorrow marks the
67 anniversary of the fall of the 'fortress', one more day and the cease
fire would have kicked in and the French forces could have marched out
of the murderous quagmire the high command had put them in. The
incident that speaks volumes about the entire disaster was the French
artillery commander, Colonel Piroth, a one armed man of immense
experience and bravery, killed himself with a grenade 2 days after the
start of the siege. He had guaranteed French artillery supremacy, not
realizing that the Vietnamese forces could place cannons anywhere they desired.
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