For almost a century, the French Foreign Legion has been synonymous with romance and high adventure — the stuff of literature's Beau Geste and Saturday matinee flicks starring Gary Cooper and Ray Milland.

Chaplain Georges Etienne-German

Tens of thousands of men across the globe have been drawn to the life of the Legionnaire and, for many, the possibilities of a new life and new beginnings.

But service in today's French Foreign Legion, which has enlistees from 136 countries, is not performed on a movie set, but often in dangerous deployments in perilous lands. Many Legionnaire's look to God for companionship. For those who wear the uniform, a chaplain can be a faithful friend and adviser.

For the first time in the Legion's storied history, a Church member wears the chaplain's olive branch shoulder insignia on his FFL uniform. Chaplain Georges Etienne-German, a convert, recently participated in LDS chaplain training in Salt Lake City and performs his pastoral duties in France.

"The Legion is a big family — a band of brothers," said Chaplain Etienne-German in an e-mail to the Church News. "The chaplain is the (one person) Legionnaire's can talk to about everything: their past, what to expect when things are hard, questions that come up after being in combat."

It's little surprise that Chaplain Etienne-German would become a Legionnaire. His German grandfather left his native country in 1934 during Hitler's rise, joined the French Foreign Legion and heroically served for 14 years. His father served for almost three decades in the Legion, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. Meanwhile, the chaplain's mother is the daughter of a Legionnaire and two of his uncles fought in Indochina War while serving in the French Foreign Legion. One was killed

"I have never lived outside of the Legion...this is our way of life," he said.

A 1986 graduate of Saint-CYR (think France's "West Point"), Chaplain Etienne-German served several years as an officer in the French Foreign Legion. He was a parachuting instructor, a platoon leader and a petty instructor.

He remained active in the Legion's reserve officer corps after moving to civilian life and taking a job as a train engineer and, later, in law enforcement.

The path that led to Church membership followed a different route.

Chaplain Etienne-German said military service opened his eyes to many of life's mysteries. He became interested in finding answers. He began searching out religions. He found a copy of the Book of Mormon at a municipal library. He read the book and returned it to the library. Touched by what he had read, he checked the Book of Mormon out once again and read it a second time, and then a third.

On the cover of the book was the address of the mission offices in Paris. He wrote to the office, asking for more information.

"Some weeks later, I had two missionaries ringing my bell."

He began listening to the discussions. After being taught the Plan of Salvation, he told the missionaries that their explanation was like a reminder of something he had heard before and knew to be true.

He was baptized days later. Almost a year later, he married a returned missionary, Marie-Claude Fanise. The Etienne-Germans have six children: Helene, 17, Rudolf, 15, Karl, 13, Lukas, 9, Mathias, 7, and 5-year-old Theo.

Family, said Chaplain Etienne-German, "is my life."

In the early 1990s, young Georges had read a Church News story about an LDS chaplain serving in the U.S. military. He made up his mind to serve in a similar capacity in the Legion, sharing his faith in God with others.

A self-proclaimed "fan of the scriptures," Chaplain Etienne-German also enjoys studying ancient religious writings, along with the teachings of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and other latter-day leaders.

E-mail to: jswensen@desnews.com