DÉFENSE ZONE
Le choix de l’engagement — Saint-Cyr au service de la Nation (The choice to serve — Saint-Cyr in the service of the Nation) is an unusual collective book: the former cadets of the Chef de bataillon de Cointet class of Saint-Cyr (the French Army’s officer academy) recount, twenty-five years after entering the academy, what their choice to serve has made of their lives.
What is the book about?
Intersecting careers: overseas operations, commands, staff posts, but also career changes, personal ordeals and loyalties kept. By giving a voice to an entire class — not just its generals —, the book shows the real diversity of officers’ destinies: not all of them ended up at the top, all of them were marked by the same initial oath. It is this collective depth that makes the testimony original.
What is its context?
At a time when the armed forces are struggling to recruit and retain personnel — an issue we regularly document —, this book answers the question asked by candidates to officer schools: what does a life of service really look like, over twenty-five years? It also sheds light on the Saint-Cyrien class spirit, that bond which survives every trajectory.
Why read it?
For anyone considering the officer route or preparing for Saint-Cyr: no careers guidance document can replace twenty-five life stories. And for everyone else: it is a rare testimony of what the Nation asks of — and gives back to — those who serve it.
Who is the Chef de bataillon de Cointet class?
A class of the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, it bears the name of Major (chef de bataillon) de Cointet, in keeping with the tradition of placing each class under the patronage of a heroic figure. Its former members, who entered Coëtquidan a quarter of a century ago, have served in all of France’s recent deployments — and here sign a collective work dedicated to memory and to passing on experience.
Where to order the book?
The book Le choix de l’engagement is available in the Défense Zone bookshop. Complement it with L’Académie militaire de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan and our biographies.
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