Duke Blue Devils to Meet Their Namesakes in France

Weekend event recognizes connection between university mascot and French Army unit

A century ago, the Duke Blue Devils were born. On Saturday, Duke alumni, family and friends are gathering in France, the birthplace of the original French Army Blue Devils, to celebrate their shared history.

Discussions for the weekend event began in 2019 between Guillaume Langle, a veteran of the Chasseurs Alpins or "les Diables Bleus," and Duke representatives, regarding a possible partnership and Memorandum of Understanding. The Blue Devils, the French Army's elite mountain infantry unit, were known for their blue uniforms with flowing capes and berets. The unit still exists, although they have traded their capes and berets for camouflage and helmets. (NATO photos here.)

"They were doing some research into the history of their unit and discovered that as part of the fame the Blue Devils had after WWI, they were being emulated as a mascot," says Chris O’Neill, a Duke alum and senior director of regional alumni programs. "As they went down that rabbit hole, they learned that Duke looked like the most prominent place using the Blue Devil as a mascot, so they started reaching out to people at Duke to establish a connection."

Those talks were put on hold during the pandemic but were re-started in September 2022.

"Our French partners have done a lot of logistical planning, and all of our locations are in some way connected to the military," says O’Neill.

The event takes place in one day, but in three parts: It will start at the Château de Vincennes, which was used as a royal residence and fortress from the 12th to 18th century. Later in the day, the celebration moves to the Arc de Triomphe, which honors those who fought for France.

Vikas Patel, president of the Duke alumni board, will lead the delegation with a representative of the French delegation and place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. France's Blue Devil Brass Band will come from Grenoble for a special appearance.

"The fun thing is even though it is their brass band, I worked with our band director, and we sent over the score and they will play ‘Dear Old Duke’ as part of the ceremony," says O’Neill.

Patel will join the ranks of many famous people, including the late Queen Elizabeth II and former President Jimmy Carter, in signing the Golden Book, creating a record for Duke's history books.

The event will cap off the evening at the Hôtel des Invalides for a reception where Duke alumni who live in France, students who are participating in the Duke in Paris program and members of the French delegation will attend.