Alex Rowe (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Chief Adjutant Alex Rowe (born 11 November 1966 in Newcastle upon Tyne
) is a British
member of the French Foreign Legion
, one of the most decorated members of the Legion and the first English
legionnaire to be invested into the Légion d'honneur
, France's highest order of merit. Born and raised in England
, he was unable to join the British Army
at age 17 on medical grounds, and instead elected to join the Foreign Legion at age 20. After 23 years service, Rowe reached the highest levels of rank available to non-French nationals in the Legion, and had been awarded five citations for acts of bravery in operational theatres around the world, culminating in 2009 with the Légion d'honneur for a second tour of Afghanistan
.
on 11 November 1966. He was raised in Gloucestershire
, living in Stonehouse
near Stroud
, attending Maidenhill School in Stonehouse. As a teenager he joined the Stroud Army Cadets
, and held a long standing ambition to join the armed forces.
Aged 17, Alex applied with his brother Mark to join the British Army
. Mark was successful but Alex, having already been accepted by the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
, was rejected on medical grounds, due to an eye condition. He had suffered a detached retina which was operated on when he was 13.
Following his rejection by the British Army, Rowe contemplated running away to the French Foreign Legion
at age 18, but was persuaded not to by his mother. At age 19 he was also declined by the police force due to his eye condition. For a time before joining the Legion, Rowe ran a pub in Stroud.
Despite his eye condition, after passing basic training he was then trained as a sniper
, becoming a top marksman
. Rowe went on to see action in Bosnia, Kosovo
, central Africa
, the Ivory Coast and Afghanistan
. Following service in Chad
, Rowe was deployed as part of the United Nations Protection Force
keeping open a corridor out of Sarajevo
during the 1990s breakup of Yugoslavia. Rowe was deployed to the Ivory Coast in 2003. Around that time the region was experiencing the Ivorian Civil War, leading to the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
mission.
Rowe was deployed on his first tour to Afghanistan in 2008, as part of the International Security Assistance Force
, serving with an Afghan battalion that sustained heavy casualties. In his second tour of Afghanistan in 2009, Rowe was part of a 700 strong Legion force under Colonel Benoît Durieux, based in Surobi
, east of the capital Kabul
. This force was deployed to exert Afghan authority over the upper Uzbin Valley in eastern Kabul Province
, in order to cut an insurgent route from Pakistan, and together with French regulars and American troops, also in the Tagab Valley in neighbouring Kapisa Province
, in order to allow completion a strategic ring road linking eastern and northern Afghanistan.
In December 2009 Rowe was profiled by the media as part of the Legion's role in ISAF, named as just Alex due to the legion's restrictions on reporting legionnaire's last names, either real or assumed, in the cases where recruits join under new identities. In addition to Rowe, this Legion force in Afghanistan also included a handful of Britons, including other profiled Chief Adjutants such as a 43-year-old Scottish
legionnaire and a 52-year-old legionnaire from Liverpool
.
Having served two tours in Afghanistan, Rowe returned to France in early 2010 to be based at the Legion training camp near Toulouse
in the south of France, instructing younger recruits.
as a Chevalier (Knight) of the French Légion d'honneur
(the National Order of the Legion of Honour), for acts of valour during his second tour in Afghanistan. The news of the award was announced in January 2010, while Rowe was to receive his Légion d’Honneur badge in a ceremony in Paris during the 14 July 2010 Bastille Day
celebrations.
Rowe's first citation came for service in Sarajevo, when he guided a mother and daughter to safety away from sniper fire being trained onto a city plaza. His third citation came for a sniper kill. Rowe's fifth citation came for his actions during an airborne insertion and night-time raid on a small village undertaken alongside American forces. After their extraction was delayed, the force was ambushed from all sides at 1am, and Rowe coordinated a helicopter counter-attack and medical evacuation of wounded Americans, with the first evacuation hit by rocket-propelled grenade fire. This action was close to the scene of the Uzbin Valley ambush
of August 2008 in which the regular French forces suffered their worst death toll in the Afghan conflict.
According to The Times
, this fifth citation made Rowe one of the most highly decorated of all legionnaires, and the Légion d’Honneur is an honour unheard of for an English legionnaire. According to Rowe, "Most guys will have one citation, some will have two. Three is very rare." Playing down his military record, he simply states of his service that "I haven't done anything more than my job."
near Stroud and works for the police in Gloucestershire Constabulary
, and is a trade union
official for UNISON
; in the 2009 Birthday Honours she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire "for services to the Police and to the Voluntary Sector." His father is a retired sales rep. In addition to his twin Mark, Rowe also has a younger brother Jeremy, a merchant banker in the City of London
.
Much of Rowe's career in the Legion has been spent in Francophone Africa. As of 2010, his last visit to England had been in 2003 with the Legion, for training on Salisbury Plain
. Rowe now lives with his French-Tahitian wife Elyzabeth near Nîmes
in the south of France, with whom he has a teenage son and stepdaughter. He plans to retire to Tahiti when he eventually leaves the Legion, having already completed the minimum term of service.
Despite being eligible after just three years service, Rowe has not taken up the option open of applying for French citizenship
, stating that he feels neither "one hundred per cent British" nor French. As a result of his Newcastle origins and long service in the Legion, Rowe is said to possess an accent "veering between Geordie
and French".
Initially, Rowe advanced through the lower ranks of the legion at the same rate as his twin brother Mark, who had elected to join the Royal Engineers
. Having reached the senior non-commissioned officer
rank of Chief Adjutant however, equivalent to the British rank of Company Sergeant Major
, due to Rowe not being a French citizen he cannot become a commissioned officer, whereas his brother has made the transition to the commissioned rank of Captain. Rowe speculated that had he been allowed to join the British Army, he would have been "at least a Colonel
in the Parachute Regiment by now — if I was still alive, of course".
Having always been angry at not being able to join the British Army, Rowe said of the situation that "You can't get into the British army because you've got a f***ed eye, and you become a sniper in the French Foreign Legion. Something's gone wrong there." Although he said he had subsequently had a good life in the Legion, and had even been paid more while on holiday than his brother had while fighting in the Gulf War
.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
member of the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, one of the most decorated members of the Legion and the first English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
legionnaire to be invested into the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, France's highest order of merit. Born and raised in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he was unable to join the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
at age 17 on medical grounds, and instead elected to join the Foreign Legion at age 20. After 23 years service, Rowe reached the highest levels of rank available to non-French nationals in the Legion, and had been awarded five citations for acts of bravery in operational theatres around the world, culminating in 2009 with the Légion d'honneur for a second tour of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Early life
Alex Rowe and his twin brother, Mark, were born in Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
on 11 November 1966. He was raised in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, living in Stonehouse
Stonehouse, Gloucestershire
Stonehouse, Gloucestershire is an urban area within the Stroud District, in the UK. It is home to a number of factories, such as Dairy Crest and Schlumberger. The town is close to the M5 motorway. Stonehouse railway station has a regular train service to London...
near Stroud
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District.Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets and cafe culture...
, attending Maidenhill School in Stonehouse. As a teenager he joined the Stroud Army Cadets
Army Cadet Force
The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...
, and held a long standing ambition to join the armed forces.
Aged 17, Alex applied with his brother Mark to join the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. Mark was successful but Alex, having already been accepted by the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, was rejected on medical grounds, due to an eye condition. He had suffered a detached retina which was operated on when he was 13.
Following his rejection by the British Army, Rowe contemplated running away to the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
at age 18, but was persuaded not to by his mother. At age 19 he was also declined by the police force due to his eye condition. For a time before joining the Legion, Rowe ran a pub in Stroud.
Military career
In 1987, shortly before his 21st birthday, and this time with his mother's agreement, Rowe travelled to Marseilles and signed up for the Legion. Having just a rudimentary knowledge of the French language, Rowe was required to learn on the job during basic training, during which the speaking of other languages is not permitted under pain of a "clip round the ear".Despite his eye condition, after passing basic training he was then trained as a sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
, becoming a top marksman
Marksman
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision, or a sharpshooter shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at long range targets...
. Rowe went on to see action in Bosnia, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
, the Ivory Coast and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Following service in Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Rowe was deployed as part of the United Nations Protection Force
United Nations Protection Force
The United Nations Protection Force ', was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav wars. It existed between the beginning of UN involvement in February 1992, and its restructuring into other forces in March 1995...
keeping open a corridor out of Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
during the 1990s breakup of Yugoslavia. Rowe was deployed to the Ivory Coast in 2003. Around that time the region was experiencing the Ivorian Civil War, leading to the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire is a peacekeeping mission whose objective is "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003"...
mission.
Rowe was deployed on his first tour to Afghanistan in 2008, as part of the International Security Assistance Force
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
, serving with an Afghan battalion that sustained heavy casualties. In his second tour of Afghanistan in 2009, Rowe was part of a 700 strong Legion force under Colonel Benoît Durieux, based in Surobi
Surobi
Not to be confused with nearby Sorubi or the Sarobi District of Paktika.The town of Sorūbī is the center of Surobi District, between Kabul and Jalalabad, in Kabul Province, Afghanistan. It is located on at 998 m altitude in the valley of the Kabul River East from Kabul on the road to Jalalabad...
, east of the capital Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
. This force was deployed to exert Afghan authority over the upper Uzbin Valley in eastern Kabul Province
Kabul Province
Kābul , situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul City, which is also Afghanistan's capital. The population of Kabul province is 3.5 million people as of 2009, of which almost 80 percent live in the urban areas...
, in order to cut an insurgent route from Pakistan, and together with French regulars and American troops, also in the Tagab Valley in neighbouring Kapisa Province
Kapisa Province
Kapisa is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Mahmud-i-Raqi, and other districts include Kohistan, Nijrab and Tagab. The population of Kapisa is estimated to be 364,900, although there has never been an official estimate...
, in order to allow completion a strategic ring road linking eastern and northern Afghanistan.
In December 2009 Rowe was profiled by the media as part of the Legion's role in ISAF, named as just Alex due to the legion's restrictions on reporting legionnaire's last names, either real or assumed, in the cases where recruits join under new identities. In addition to Rowe, this Legion force in Afghanistan also included a handful of Britons, including other profiled Chief Adjutants such as a 43-year-old Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
legionnaire and a 52-year-old legionnaire from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Having served two tours in Afghanistan, Rowe returned to France in early 2010 to be based at the Legion training camp near Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in the south of France, instructing younger recruits.
Citations
After twenty three years of exemplary service in the Legion, in 2010 Rowe was to be awarded a fifth citation for bravery - investitureInvestiture
Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...
as a Chevalier (Knight) of the French Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(the National Order of the Legion of Honour), for acts of valour during his second tour in Afghanistan. The news of the award was announced in January 2010, while Rowe was to receive his Légion d’Honneur badge in a ceremony in Paris during the 14 July 2010 Bastille Day
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
celebrations.
Rowe's first citation came for service in Sarajevo, when he guided a mother and daughter to safety away from sniper fire being trained onto a city plaza. His third citation came for a sniper kill. Rowe's fifth citation came for his actions during an airborne insertion and night-time raid on a small village undertaken alongside American forces. After their extraction was delayed, the force was ambushed from all sides at 1am, and Rowe coordinated a helicopter counter-attack and medical evacuation of wounded Americans, with the first evacuation hit by rocket-propelled grenade fire. This action was close to the scene of the Uzbin Valley ambush
Uzbin Valley ambush
The Uzbin Valley ambush occurred when ISAF troops were ambushed by Afghan militants in eastern Afghanistan on 18 August 2008. It took place outside the village of Spēṟ Kunday, of the Surobi District of Kabul province and resulted in heavy casualties to the French ISAF contingent.A NATO report of...
of August 2008 in which the regular French forces suffered their worst death toll in the Afghan conflict.
According to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, this fifth citation made Rowe one of the most highly decorated of all legionnaires, and the Légion d’Honneur is an honour unheard of for an English legionnaire. According to Rowe, "Most guys will have one citation, some will have two. Three is very rare." Playing down his military record, he simply states of his service that "I haven't done anything more than my job."
Personal life
Rowe's mother Jennifer is from RodboroughRodborough
Rodborough is a civil parish in the district of Stroud, Gloucestershire, in Southwest England. It is directly south of the town of Stroud, north of the town of Nailsworth and north-west of the village of Minchinhampton...
near Stroud and works for the police in Gloucestershire Constabulary
Gloucestershire Constabulary
Gloucestershire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire in England...
, and is a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official for UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
; in the 2009 Birthday Honours she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire "for services to the Police and to the Voluntary Sector." His father is a retired sales rep. In addition to his twin Mark, Rowe also has a younger brother Jeremy, a merchant banker in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
Much of Rowe's career in the Legion has been spent in Francophone Africa. As of 2010, his last visit to England had been in 2003 with the Legion, for training on Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
. Rowe now lives with his French-Tahitian wife Elyzabeth near Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
in the south of France, with whom he has a teenage son and stepdaughter. He plans to retire to Tahiti when he eventually leaves the Legion, having already completed the minimum term of service.
Despite being eligible after just three years service, Rowe has not taken up the option open of applying for French citizenship
French nationality law
French nationality law is historically based on the principles of jus soli , according to Ernest Renan's definition, in opposition to the German's definition of nationality, Jus sanguinis , formalized by Fichte.The 1993 Méhaignerie Law required children born in France of foreign parents to request...
, stating that he feels neither "one hundred per cent British" nor French. As a result of his Newcastle origins and long service in the Legion, Rowe is said to possess an accent "veering between Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
and French".
Initially, Rowe advanced through the lower ranks of the legion at the same rate as his twin brother Mark, who had elected to join the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. Having reached the senior non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
rank of Chief Adjutant however, equivalent to the British rank of Company Sergeant Major
Company Sergeant Major
A company sergeant major is the senior non-commissioned soldier of a company in the armies of many Commonwealth countries, responsible for standards and discipline. In combat, his prime responsibility is the supply of ammunition to the company...
, due to Rowe not being a French citizen he cannot become a commissioned officer, whereas his brother has made the transition to the commissioned rank of Captain. Rowe speculated that had he been allowed to join the British Army, he would have been "at least a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Parachute Regiment by now — if I was still alive, of course".
Having always been angry at not being able to join the British Army, Rowe said of the situation that "You can't get into the British army because you've got a f***ed eye, and you become a sniper in the French Foreign Legion. Something's gone wrong there." Although he said he had subsequently had a good life in the Legion, and had even been paid more while on holiday than his brother had while fighting in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.