Bernard Grail

Bernard was admitted to the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr on September 1967, promotion « Lieutenant-colonel de Sairigné », he was nominated to the rank of sous-lieutenant on October 1968.

Following, he chose the mechanized infantry and rejoined on September 1969, the application school of the armored cavalry arm of Saumur, then in February 1970, the infantry application school.

In August, he was assigned to the 35th Mechanized Infantry Regiment (French: 35^e Régiment d'Infanterie Mecanisé) in quality as a section chief (French: chef de section). He was accordingly promoted to the rank of lieutenant on October 1.

He joined for the first time the ranks of the French Foreign Legion in August 1973 to command a section of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 2^e REP at Calvi. He then occupied the post of company assistant officer, then was promoted to the rank of captain on January 1, 1976. He conducted his commandment time of captain at the head of the 4th company with which he participated in May 1978, to operation « Bonite » at Kolwezi. He was cited at the orders of the division with attribution of the Croix de la Valeur militaire.

In August 1980, he joined the general staff headquarters (French: etat-major) of the 11th Parachute Division 11^e DP to exercise the functions of aide-de-camp of the general commandant of the division, then that of assist to the chief of Outre-Mer section bureau.

He was promoted to the rank of chef de bataillon on October 1, 1981.

In July 1982, he was assigned to the infantry application school in quality as chief of the student group officers then assistant to the commandant in charge of the instruction of officers application groupment. In September 1984, he was a candidate at the 98th promotion of the superior war school.

He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel on October 1, 1985.

In June 1986, he was designated to the Legion in quality of assistant applied-instruction at the general staff headquarters of the French Foreign Legion at Aubagne.

In July 1989, he was promoted to colonel and assumed the regimental command of the 4th Foreign Regiment 4^e RE.

On September 1, 1997, he was designated as assistant (French: adjoint) to the general commandant of the 6th Light Armoured Division 6^e DLB.

On September 1, 1999, he assumed command of the French Foreign Legion where he was promoted to Général de division on August 1, 2001.

He was designated as general assistant major (French: général adjoint major) to the general commandant of the region South-West as of July 1, 2002.

• Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur
• Commandeur de l'ordre national du Mérite
• Croix de la Valeur militaire (cited at the orders of the division with attribution)
• Medaille d'Outre-Mer (agrafe « Zaire »)
• Croix de la bravoure militaire zaïroise (Cross of the military bravery of Zaire)