Lieutenant-Colonel Jeanpierre – Legendary Soldier

The archetype of the man of war and the prestigious commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Jeanpierre, a heroic figure of the Foreign Legion, has his place in the glorious pantheon formed by those whose exemplary lives and deaths serve to build legends. It was at the age of 18, in 1930, that he enlisted as a private soldier in an infantry regiment, to be appointed second lieutenant six years later. On leaving the school of Saint-Maixent, a brilliant class ranking allowed him to choose the Foreign Legion. He would remain faithful to it. After the rigorous apprenticeship among the "white kepis," in Algeria and Morocco, he was promoted to lieutenant. In 1941, he fought in Syria, where he was cited for his fighting instinct, physical courage and ability to lead men. On returning to metropolitan France, he immediately joined the Resistance.

In 1944, he was arrested and then deported. From 1946, he rejoined the Legion, where his superiors regarded him as a man of great promise. The creation of the Parachute Legion intended for operations in Indochina, for which he immediately volunteered, opened new horizons to him. He would be one of the rare survivors of the sacrifice of the 1er BEP on the RC4. From 1955, he would prove himself fully at the head of the 1er REP, amid the ferocious diversity of the fighting in Algeria. He fell on 29 May 1958 in the Guelma region. Wounded twice, holder of nine citations including six at army level, he was a Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur.