The recruiting army, we knew that. On the other hand, the Army, which is holding an open day for all young people from the Côte d’Azur, that’s a first! The Nice Army recruitment center, at the Caserne Filley located at 2 rue Sincaire, has just participated in the national #FindingPlace day. A major first for the Armed Forces Information and Recruitment Center (CIRFA) in Nice. The operation is aimed at young people aged 16 to 30. About a hundred were able to discuss with soldiers and discover the many career opportunities within the Army.
For the homeland, to defend France: Wissem, 20 years old
If these young people get involved, it’s often for the same reason “defend France, protect our values” Wissem tells us. Guillaume goes a little further: “I am a patriot, it is my country and I want to commit myself to it”.
They are often born in the early 2000s, a period marked by the return of terrorism to Western soil with the collapse of the two towers of the World Trade Center. In their adolescence, it was France that was affected: Charlie Hebdo, the attacks of November 13, and then their city of Nice, also hit by terrorism with the attack on the Promenade des Anglais where 86 people died and more than 450 injured. Commander Nicolas is responsible for recruitment for the army in the Alpes-Maritimes: “They lived seeing soldiers in the streets, young people murdered on the terrace, an attack on the Prom’. They do not necessarily manage to put words to what they feel but _they have the feeling of serving the French people_.”
The profile of these young recruits? Fighters and students
There are fighters like Lilian, who is 16 and dreams of the foreign legion despite the risks. “If I die, I die” summarizes Lilianaccompanied by his mother Nathalie. “Yes _it’s hard as a mom_, of course I’m worried, but there are other dangerous jobs and then you need people like that. You have to be proud of that.”
There are now also the top of the class in the army; these young people coming out of university. This is the case of Samy who would like to work in French intelligence. “I’m finishing my master’s degree in artificial intelligence. Yes, I’m what you might consider a head, but _the army today allows me to exercise my passion and serve my country_“.
Highly sought-after applications explains Commander Nicolas: “We have known war on the level of sky, land and sea. Today we need cyber-fighters but also all other young people. We have a job for all people who have these values: equity (equal pay for men and women), high standards, self-improvement and team spirit. We take young people without diplomas up to bac +5 “.
The Nice Army recruitment center recruits 200 young people every year. They start with a salary of 1,370 euros net per month by being fed and housed. The army includes 130,000 women and men, with an average age of 32 years.