FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Coming August 2, 2005

A Hard Cover Original

from

Berkley-Caliber

Penguin Group (USA)

LEGION OF THE LOST

Since 1831, the French Foreign Legion has become a renowned symbol of discipline and solidarity. Made up completely of volunteers, the Legion gives men a new lease on life—and a chance to test their limits both physically and mentally. So how did a young, corporate know-it-all wind up enlisting? How did Jaime Salazar escape and return to America with no passport and no money? His heralding, tell-all story not only exposes well-guarded secrets, but makes it impossible for him to ever return to France without facing arrest and a long prison sentence.

For review copies and scheduling please contact: Rod Mitchell at 281.350.5506

One man's exciting story about his brutal year and escape from the French Foreign Legion......One man's exciting story about his brutal year and escape from the French Foreign Legion.......One man's exciting story about his brutal year and escape from the French Foreign Legion....

LEGION OF THE LOST:

The True Experience of an American in

The French Foreign Legion

by Jamie R. Salazar

In 1999 The French Foreign Legion was what American Jamie Salazar thought he was looking for. After all, it would be filled with adventure, travel and excitement, and his comrades would be from every corner of the globe. Some were seeking solace from crimes they had left behind, but most, like Jaime, simply wanted to reinvent themselves. He was to become a member of an elite and secret force, and a fierce mercenary capable of killing on-demand.

Jaime never thought of himself as one who was weak of spirit or body, but soon after making a five year commitment, and entering his four month training he began to question himself and his decision. He expected to face harsh discipline and follow military conduct, but what he was dealt bordered on the cruel and inhumane. "It either toughened you or it killed you." What he had once written-off as tales and rumor about the harshness of basic training in The Legion was becoming a harsh reality. The luster was fading. Every day he received little to eat and coped with the fiercest and most punishing experience any man could endure. If he ever made it through these four months, he knew he would be one tough Legionnaire. He soon understood why so many enlistees either washed out or deserted!

Some months after completing basic training, Salazar began to ask himself; "if I die, who would know? After all, I exist in total anonymity. I have given up my passport and I have a new name and new identity. I must get myself out of this situation."

LEGION OF THE LOST reads like a Hollywood movie. It is filled with adventure and colorful characters, and loaded with intrigue. It vividly recounts the experiences and torturous pounding that Jaime Salazar faced every day in the world's toughest military. His book is also an expose, as it discloses, to the chagrin of the Legion, little known facts and traditions that have been kept secret for over 170 years.

LEGION OF THE LOST is a real page-turner, and the intrigue mounts as we cheer Salazar in his ultimate decision to desert. After 12 long months, he finally makes his move. Shortly after he is found, arrested and sentenced to prison. How did he finally escape? Where did he go? How did he get money and obtain a new passport and passage back to the United States?

LEGION OF THE LOST: The True Experience of an American in the French Foreign Legion by Jamie Salazar (Berkley Caliber Hardcover Original; On Sale: August 2, 2005; $23.95), is a compelling first-hand account of a twenty-three year old, self-proclaimed “well-heeled yuppie,” who left corporate-America behind to join the French Foreign Legion.

In addition to offering a contemporary, behind-the-scenes look at his harrowing experience, and a portrait of the strange mix of people who enlist, Salazar discusses the Legion’s history, its brutality, and its evolving role in the world today.

From the rigors of physical training, to the fierce competitiveness between recruits, Salazar’s ultimate disillusionment, and dramatic desertion, LEGION OF THE LOST is the story of one man’s quest for identity and courage.