https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOcpZVemB8
Transcript:
We've never needed them
We have never really asked anything of them
You know, they'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that
And they did
They stayed a little back, little off the front lines
I'd served five tours in Afghanistan, many alongside my American colleagues
We shed blood, sweat, and tears together.
And not everybody came home. >> But to this president, that that just counts as nothing
In fact, the sacrifice that they made and the fact that they answered when called upon after 9/11 is completely disregarded and the disrespect that comes with that goes beyond just being called disrespect
It's dishonor. >> We get along very well with NATO, I think, but I've always said, will they be there if we ever needed them
And that's really the ultimate test.
And I'm not sure of that. >> Retired British Corporal Andy Reid corrected Trump today
He lost three limbs in Afghanistan. >> The Americans asked us to get involved in in that conflict
So he clearly knows that we were there. >> Well, I I think that my initial reaction obviously would like everybody else's rage and and anger.
They stayed a little back, little off the front lines
A man who claims to be the healthiest in the world but faked bone spurs to dodge Vietnam just told the families of over,00 dead NATO soldiers that their loved ones stayed a little off the front lines
Well to that I say this very deliberately. [ __ ] you, Donald Trump.
Veterans worldwide are furious
Not annoyed, not disappointed, furious
One Marine Corpse veteran's response has gone viral
a raw unfiltered condemnation. >> I and millions of other veterans woke up today not knowing the amount of dishonor that has just been thrust upon their shoulders. >> The veteran, known online as large man abroad, said that in a video that has resonated across the veteran community.
Because what Donald Trump said in his Fox News interview from Davos isn't just wrong, it's a desecration
A man who has never served the day in uniform, who received five draft defirments to avoid Vietnam, not only doubted NATO's willingness to aid the US, but also erased the sacrifices of every Allied soldier who answered America's call after the 9/11 attacks.
We get along very well with NATO, I think, but I've always said, will they be there if we ever needed them
And that's really the ultimate test
And I'm not sure of that
I know that we would have been there or we would be there, but will they be there
And let's hope that that never happens.
We've never needed them
We have never really asked anything of them
You know, they'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that
And they did
They stayed a little back little off the front lines. >> 457 British service members didn't come home from Afghanistan. 158 Canadians didn't come home
Soldiers from Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Australia
They didn't come home.
They died in the same valleys, the same firefights, the same IED blasts as American troops, side by side, and the president of the United States just spat on their graves
Large Man Abroad didn't mince words about what Trump's comments represent
This is something that goes beyond nationality.
It's something that goes beyond alliances
uh honoring the dead, honoring the war dead is something sacred, something hollowed
The kind of fidelity that you show and and hold between you and someone that you stood um side by side with is something that's really hard to put into words, but it's something that goes back to time immemorial.
It's something that is held in deep reverence of all peoples throughout the world
That's why these comments that the president makes about the NATO troops and the contributions that they've made during the 20-year campaign in Afghanistan, the UK lost 457 troops
I think second was Canada
But to this president, that that just counts as nothing.
In fact, the sacrifice that they made and the fact that they answered when called upon after 9/11 is completely disregarded
And the disrespect that comes with that goes beyond just being called disrespect
It's dishonor
He's speaking from personal experience from actually serving alongside the allies that Trump has slandered.
This is what Trump cannot understand
He doesn't understand the sense of brotherhood
He's never had an ally that he hasn't sought to exploit
no friends that weren't also business contacts and large man abroad calls him out. >> Donald Trump is a coward
Donald Trump avoided being drafted into the Vietnam War.
He he avoided putting his life on the line when his country called upon him
And it used to be, you know, those who came from wealthier houses, noble houses, um were expected to serve in the military
If you're going to be in politics, you had to serve in the military if you're going to be taken seriously
But this is someone who does everything to degrade and belittle the contributions and sacrifices that people from the military, no matter what time in history that is simply because of his insecurity.
Donald Trump just doesn't measure up
This is not a tough man
This isn't a brave man
This is a man of self-war
This is a man who idolizes greed
This is a man who is brutish and brutal in his actions and in his policy
This is a man lacking any kind of honor
So I don't feel any kind of surprise when I hear him say such dishonorable things.
A man of self- worship
A man who idealizes greed
A man lacking any kind of honor
That's a United States Marine describing his commanderin-chief
And he is godamn right
The American veteran wasn't, of course, alone in his outrage
Here's a clip from Alistister K, a British veteran who served five tours in Afghanistan and now serves as the UK's armed forces minister.
K's response was equally devastating
We all stood together shoulderto-shoulder and responded on Afghanistan
Frankly, this is utterly ridiculous
Many courageous and honorable service personnel from many nations fought on the front line
Many fought way beyond it
I'd served five tours in Afghanistan
many alongside my American colleagues.
We shed blood, sweat, and tears together
And not everybody came home
These are bonds I think forged in fire, protecting the US or shared interests, but actually protecting democracy overall
And I'd suggest whoever believes these comments, come have a whiskey with me, my colleagues, their families, and importantly, the families of those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for both of our nations.
KHN reminded Trump of the history he clearly doesn't know
So, tracking some comments made that NATO troops stayed a little off the front lines in Afghanistan and that the US has never necessarily needed us
Well, it's a real shame to hear that
The only time NATO has ever enacted Article 5 was after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the world rallied to the support of the US.
Our agencies, our forces, our politicians
Article 5, an attack on one is an attack on all
In the entire history of NATO, 75 years, it has been invoked exactly once
And it was invoked to defend America, not the other way around
America didn't ride to Europe's rescue
The world rode to Americas.
Kant also reminded viewers of something else, something that cuts to the very foundation of why these alliances exist
It's also worth reminding everyone here in World War II, more British troops landed on D-Day than any other nation
It was an allied response and united we conquer. >> And then he delivered words that should be carved into stone at every military academy in the alliance.
Now some advice for anyone who may be listening
There are two great sayings worth remembering
Number one, there is only one worst thing than working with allies
That is working without them
And when you do, always remember
Never above, never below, always side by side
Even Kia Starama, a prime minister who has been conspicuously careful not to wade into Trump's controversies, felt compelled to respond.
I will never forget their courage, their bravery, and the sacrifice that they made for their country
There are many also who were injured, some with life-changing injuries
And so, I consider President Trump's remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling
And I'm not surprised they've caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured.
When a leader known for diplomatic restraint breaks that restraint, it tells you something about how far the line was crossed
And a large man abroad put his finger on exactly what that line was
He described cleanly and directly what Trump has done to America's standing in the world
The man has simply dismantled every infrastructure of respect that our allies have for us.
In fact, what allies do we have at this point
And that should be the real question because this is no longer the United States, the president, the commander-in-chief insulting allies
This is the commander-in-chief, the president insulting those who used to be allies
This is him trying to rewrite history by erasing the contributions that our brothers in arms, no matter where they're from, actually made.
And it's disgusting
It's vile
It's aberrant
But it's allowed to happen
What Trump said fits a pattern
This is the same man who just last year said he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to NATO allies who don't pay enough
The same man who for years has been calling NATO obsolete.
the same man who questioned whether Article 5 should even exist
This pattern isn't subtle
He's not criticizing NATO's bureaucracy or pushing for reform
He's systematically attacking the very idea that America has allies worth keeping
To Trump, NATO is a transaction, a bill that other countries aren't paying
He cannot fathom that soldiers from 32 nations trained together, bled together, died together because they believed in something larger than a balance sheet.
And then in a moment that captured the weight of what Trump has done, this American veteran did something he should have never felt the need to do, he apologized on behalf of the millions of veterans who share his outrage. >> But to anyone out there, especially from the other NATO countries, um, who are agrieved and deeply insulted, as you should be, by the comments that our president has made, um, I would like to apologize And it's not my place to apologize, but I feel it necessary to do so.
And for you to understand that millions of veterans, probably 99% of veterans understand and know and appreciate um all the sacrifices that our brothers in arms and sisters in arms uh have made with us, for us
And um we hold you in high regard and many of us until our dying days always will.
No matter where the chips fall between our countries, you will always have our respect
This is sadly what MAGA has brought America to
Barely back in office, Trump threatened to seize Greenland from a NATO ally, threatened to make Canada part of the US, threatened to cut support for NATO altogether, and has now told the families of the dead that their loved ones were cowards who hid from the fight.
They stayed a little back, little off the front lines. >> An American veteran felt compelled to apologize to the world for his president
Think about that for a moment
a man who served his country, speaking to allies who bled alongside him, saying, "I'm sorry." Not for something that he did, but for what his country's leader said about their sacrifice.
But good sir, should you ever see this, you do not owe us an apology
It is civilians like me who owe you and all who served our gratitude
I say this as a British citizen whose country lost 457 service members in Afghanistan
You have nothing to apologize for
Your president does
The veteran was blunt about what this all means. >> One out of three people in the United States still support this and they're going to hear this and it's going to make them feel uncomfortable.
But still, at the end of the day, they'll support it because they're all part of a cult, a grand American cult that does nothing but work towards the destruction of America and ruin the lives of the American people and people worldwide
The only people who can hear Trump claim that Allied troops stayed off the front lines and not find it abysmal are those who have stopped thinking for themselves entirely.
Information that contradicts the leader simply doesn't penetrate because it's a cult
Most veterans know the truth
They remember who was beside them when the bullet started flying
And it wasn't Donald