The man you're looking at is Marcel "Bruno" Bigeard, a veteran of 3 wars and the most decorated soldier in France, starting in the Army as a private.
In 1940, he fought against the Germans during the invasion of France. Was captured, held prisoner for 18 months, and after his 3rd escape attempt, he managed to reach North Africa, fighting with the Free French Force. In 1944, after training with British Commandos, he returned to France as part of a 4 men Jedburgh Team conducting missions behind enemy lines until the end of the war.
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A fitness fanatic known for his austere lifestyle and working out several hours every day, Bigeard was famous being one of the most fittest man in the entire French Army, which would save his life later.
Between 1945 and 1954, he commanded several airborne commando units during the French Indo China war, fighting Communist forces in the jungles of SE Asia, including in the battle of Dien Bien Phu. During that battle, his unit held off thousands of enemy soldiers and of his 800 men, only 40 were left by the end of the battle.
He was made a prisoner of war, enduring brutal conditions during his captivity. It was a tribute to Bigeard's intense physical fitness regime that he emerged from the ordeal in relatively good health and was liberated 4 months later. Upon returning to France, he told the French press he "would do better the next time." He then conducted counter insurgency operations during the Algerian war, hunting down FNL rebels. Bigeard was the victim of an assassination attempt by the FLN, being shot in the chest twice by FLN assassins while jogging alone by the Mediterranean. 4 months later, he was back on duty.
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Bigeard was extremely popular with the troops for his courage and for leading from the front, often without carrying a weapon, and never asked his men to do anything that he would not do. He is credited for fathering 'unconventional' warfare in the French Army. He retired from the military as a Lt. Gen. after 40 years of service, earning medals from several countries to include the US and UK. His motto: It is possible, it will be done. And if it is impossible, it will still be done". #stayzero #zerofoxtrot