[neecheepure]

The French have really turned it around since losing those ten men last year in the same AO (we were on the ground with them on that horrible day). Last year's disaster was a soup sandwich, from equipment issues to lack of planning to piss-poor tactical decissions. But, being the worst loss of French lives since Beruit in '83, it provided a much-needed catalyst: Sarkosy and his Defense Minister (forgot his name) were on the ground 24 hours later, speaking about resolve and committing more troops (which they did indeed do).
I worked with the Legion, indeed, with some of the individuals mentioned in this article (we're mentioned, if you read it closely). Couldn't ask for a better group of grunt-types to go out on a job with. They've fixed a lot of the problems that plagued them last year.
That being said, they are still dealing with their officers, who are extremely risk averse (don't want a repeat of lask year's debacle) and who are still using some of the same tactics driven by the same doctrine that served them so well leading up to Dien Bien Phu... Like "Alex" said in the article, "too much chatting..."
I'd love to hear the impressions of other's who've worked with the Legion...