Allies in U.S. ‘war on terror’ respond to Trump comments
What’s the definition of a CHICKENHAWK?
A chickenhawk is a colloquial term used to describe a person, particularly a politician or public figure, who advocates for military action or war but has no military experience themselves, often avoiding service during conflicts. The term implies a level of hypocrisy, as these individuals may support sending others to fight while not participating themselves. It can also refer to individuals who promote aggressive policies without taking on the associated risks. Source: GPT-4o mini
Trump’s war time draft deferments
New York Times: Daughters of foot doctor say he diagnosed Trump with bone spurs as ‘favor’ to Fred Trump
(CNN) The daughters of a Queens foot doctor say their late father diagnosed President Donald Trump with bone spurs to help him avoid the Vietnam War draft as a “favor” to his father Fred Trump, according to a new report Wednesday.
Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam?
Donald Trump’s Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet
Reactions to Trump’s remarks
Prince Harry Issues Strong Statement After Trump Questions NATO Allies’ Role After 9/11: ‘I Lost Friends’
By Stephanie Petit and Simon Perry
People | January 23, 2026
- Prince Harry reacted to President Donald Trump’s comments about NATO allies staying “back” from the frontlines during the war in Afghanistan
- Harry said, “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there”
- The Duke of Sussex served in the British Army for a decade, including two tours of Afghanistan
“You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did — they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP
While members of the royal family traditionally avoid public comment on political issues, Harry has continued to speak publicly about military service and veterans’ welfare since stepping back from royal life.
“In 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first—and only—time in history,” Harry said, referencing the alliance’s mutual defense clause following the Sept. 11 attacks. “It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call. I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there. The United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed.”
PRINCE HARRY
“Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost. Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace.”
PRINCE HARRY
Trump criticised for saying Nato allies ‘stayed a little back’ from Afghanistan front line
BBC News | January 23, 2026
‘We lost 22 young Canadians on my tour’
Michael Akpata is among the more than 40,000 Canadian soldiers who served in Afghanistan. Canada lost 158 soldiers, the third highest casualty number after the US and Britain in the war.
Seven Canadian civilians also died.
Akpata, who was in Afghanistan in 2007, says Trump’s comments “belittle” the sacrifices Canada made.
“We lost 22 young Canadians on my tour,” Akpata recalls. “Their blood, their sweat, and their tears is emblematic of Canada’s contribution to world peace and stabilisation.”
“It is disheartening to hear the president of the United States, who himself has never put on a uniform… speak ill of young Canadians that gave their lives in support of an ally,” says Akpata, who is now the deputy mayor of LaSalle in Ontario.
Starmer and other party leaders criticise Trump
The UK prime minister branded Trump’s remarks “insulting and frankly appalling”, and suggested the US president should apologise. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called Trump’s comments a “disgrace”, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called them a “huge insult to our brave soldiers”.
Veterans and families of those killed and injured react
Lucy Aldridge, whose son Rifleman William Aldridge died in a bomb blast in 2009, aged just 18 – becoming the youngest British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan – was one of many who lost family in the conflict to criticise Trump’s remarks. She said it “picks the scab off wounds that never healed”, adding she is “deeply offended” and “deeply disgusted”.
Trump has belittled legacy of troops in Afghanistan, says ex Nato boss
“No American President should have the liberty to belittle their legacy and to insult the ones who are still grieving the fact that they didn’t come back alive from Afghanistan, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer tells BBC’s Newshour.
PM should summon US ambassador to Downing Street, says former MP
Tobias Ellwood, former chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee, ex defence minister, and a veteran, calls Trump’s claim “as offensive as it is ignorant”, adding that it is “grounds for the prime minister to summon the US ambassador to Downing Street and demand an apology”.
Speaking to BBC News, he recalls a visit to Helmand Province as an MP, where he caught a lift back from a Danish cargo plane. It was carrying “20 coffins with Danish flags wrapped over each one”, Ellwood says.
Denmark is a member of Nato.
He adds that over 40 lives were lost from his own regiment of the British Army, the Rifles.
Ellwood says Trump has glossed over the fact that his own deal in 2020 resulted in Afghanistan being handed back “to the very insurgency that we went in to defeat”.
Trump’s claims ‘as personal as it gets,’ says bereaved mother
Helena Tym says Trump’s comments are “as personal as it gets” after her 19-year-old son Cyrus Thatcher was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while he was trying to help an American bomb disposal team get back to safety while serving in 2009.
Carol Brackpool tells BBC Radio Sussex she was “angry and shocked” by Trump’s “disrespectful” remarks. Her son John also died while fighting in Afghanistan in 2009.
Meanwhile, Robert Dicketts, whose son Oliver was killed in Afghanistan in 2006, says Trump’s words “beggar belief”.
Jamie Grant, a former Royal Marines commando who completed two tours in Afghanistan, says it is “absolutely ludicrous” to suggest British troops stayed away from the front line.
Trump’s comments ‘beyond outrageous’ – former national security adviser
The president’s words were “beyond outrageous” and “very harmful,” a former senior adviser to Donald Trump has told the BBC.
John Bolton, who served as National Security Adviser to Trump before becoming a vocal critic of his, says it is appropriate for the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to ask for an apology – but added that he would not get one.
‘Put Trump on the front line,’ says mother of soldier killed in Afghanistan
“I think they should put Donald Trump in a uniform and put him on the front line, instead of pushing a pen behind a desk, he should go out there and do it himself.”
Monica Kershaw is holding back tears as we speak on the phone.
It’s been nearly 14 years since her son, Christopher, was killed in Helmand Province. It was three weeks into his first ever active deployment.
He was just 19 years old.
Danish troops who fought alongside US forces feel betrayed, as Trump threatens Greenland and denigrates NATO
(CNN) The Danish military has a long history of serving alongside the US – on NATO missions, United Nations peacekeeping missions, and in the US-led conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Denmark has mandatory military service for both men and women, but the small number of Greenlandic soldiers who join the Danish defense forces are all volunteers.
The Kingdom of Denmark suffered significant casualties in Afghanistan, where its forces deployed to Helmand Province – one of the deadliest theaters of the war. Denmark’s involvement began in 2001, following the September 11 attacks on the US and over the years that followed it deployed nearly 20,000 personnel through the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
At least 41 Danish soldiers were killed there – a very high per capita rate compared to the other nations who joined the force, given that Denmark and its autonomous territories have a population of only 6 million. It suffered further casualties in the Iraq War, losing eight soldiers, according to research from the Danish Defence Medical Command.
How many U.S. soldiers were killed in Vietnam following Donald J. Trump’s final deferment?
Approximately 47,434 U.S. soldiers were killed in Vietnam after Donald Trump received his final deferment in 1968 until the end of U.S. involvement in the war in 1975. The Vietnam War resulted in a total of about 58,220 U.S. military personnel deaths over its duration from 1955 to 1975. The loss of life during this conflict has had a profound impact on American society and shaped discussions about military service and commitment.
Source: GPT-4o mini
