"Have there been any "brave" endeavors of the French lately? In recent years? In some long ago distant past perhaps?"
Let's see...Gee, I don't know, let's ask the French soldiers who have been deployed with their American comrades in arms' side to fight in WW1, WW2, the Korean War, Lebanon, Gulf War 1, ex-Yugoslavia, Somalia, Haiti, Afghanistan...
Or even better, we could ask this guy...if he hadn't been killed in the line of duty.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589908/posts