Filipinos in the French military

In 1858, when the Philippines was a Spanish colony, France and Spain invaded Vietnam. A number of French troops involved in this campaign became casualties as a result of contracting illnesses such as cholera, dysentery, tropical diseases, and rickets. In order to deal with the manpower shortage which resulted from this situation, the French consul in Manila, the colonial capital of the Philippines, was given permission by the Spanish government to recruit 900 Indians, as Filipinos were then known, for the French navy and a sufficient number of men to form an infantry company and a cavalry squadron. It is said that one-third of the entire French force in this campaign consisted of mercenaries from the Philippines, who distinguished themselves in action and were well-adapted to the environment.

There were 23 Filipino mercenaries who served in the French Foreign Legion from 1914 through 1918. The legionaries from the Philippines, at that time an American colony, constituted the largest number of legionaries from the region which years later would be known as Southeast Asia. Other legionaries from the region who served in the Legion during World War I were: 4 Cambodians; 2 Dutch Hindus; 10 Indo-Chinese; 2 Siamese; and 4 Tonkinese.

A number of Filipinos presently serve in the French foreign legion.

References

* Foreign Service Institute. "Philippine External Relations: A Centennial Vista". Pasay City: Foreign Service Institute, 1998.
* Young, John Robert. "The French Foreign Legion: the Inside Story of the World-Famous Fighting Force". Introduction by Len Deighton. London: Thames and Hudson, 1984.