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Rather interesting, though, the scope is limited to USA alone. Supposing you make your way out of USA, a good solution for restarting your life is to join the
by pp19dd 11y ago
Rather interesting, though, the scope is limited to USA alone.
Supposing you make your way out of USA, a good solution for restarting your life is to join the French Foreign Legion. They'll take recruits from 17.5 - 39.5 years old. No questions asked, for a year. You literally start with a new name, an assumed identity which is a sign-up requirement. Their tagline is "the school of second chance."
You get fed, you get training, you get a salary. If in that year you do well, learn the language, learn soldiering, progress, you can get French citizenship. After the first year, you can either continue your career under your assumed identity, or reconcile your issues with your country of origin.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/french-foreign-legion.htm http://science.howstuffworks.com/french-foreign-legion.htm
- curiousjorge 11y agoyeah and they get 'leaked' and you are screwed. or they just snoop around figure out that you weren't Jason Bourne at all but actually David Webb. cue music...
- clamprecht 11y agoIt's a cool concept. Fingerprint databases kind of throw a monkey wrench at it though (if your fingerprints are in a database).
- leroy_masochist 11y agoEvidently the Legion now asks for ID and runs recruits through Interpol prior to letting them join[0]. [0]: Things Google tells me when I should be working[1] [1]: http://www.overseas-exile.com/p/french-foreign-legion-myths.html http://www.overseas-exile.com/p/french-foreign-legion-myths....
- refurb 11y agoThat's true, but at least in the past I've heard that the FFL will deny your existence to outside parties. One story I read said that a soldier got into a fight in France and then went back to the Barracks. The police came and asked for him and they said "no one here by that name." I have no idea if they still do it. Also, if it's a serious crime, they have no issue with turning you in.
- swimfar 11y agoBut they don't just take anyone. Here's an article about a guy who tried to join [1]. Here's another article about some people who made it in [2]. It doesn't seem as exciting as the image that a lot of people have (me included). [1] http://www.vice.com/read/i-tried-joining-the-french-foreign-legion http://www.vice.com/read/i-tried-joining-the-french-foreign-... [2] http://www.vanityfair.com/unchanged/2012/12/french-foreign-legion-expendables http://www.vanityfair.com/unchanged/2012/12/french-foreign-l...
- nickthemagicman 11y agoThis is completely inaccurate. They are highly selective and flooded with ex military from 3rd world countries. So a pudgy middle class westerner would have problems. There's a reddit AMA and a Vice article about it if you google. Also,it takes years before you get the citizenship.
- pp19dd 11y agoThanks for rightfully pointing out edge cases. I believe they excluded the VICE guy because he had a digital footprint that identified him, and that's a completely unfounded opinion. I'm not naive to think that there's not a vetting process, but when you're in dire straits, you need some hope and that's what FFL represents.