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Andy Reid’s life was forever altered during his third month in Afghanistan when he stepped on a Taliban improvised explosive device while on a routine patrol in Helmand Province. The explosion resulted in the loss of both his legs and one arm. Reflecting on the moment, Reid recalls, “I was there on the floor on my back, a big dust cloud all around me. I couldn’t hear anything. I wasn’t really in any pain at the time, but I felt some numbness throughout my body.” He adds, “I knew something bad had happened to me. I looked down and I couldn’t see my legs at that stage.” Reid was one of thousands of British troops wounded during the conflict, which also saw 457 British service members lose their lives.
Reid, alongside other veterans and families of fallen soldiers, expressed deep offense at remarks made by US President Donald Trump, who claimed in an interview that America’s NATO allies sent “some troops” to Afghanistan but “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.” Reid disputes this, saying, “I remember working with some American soldiers in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. If they were on the front line, and we were stood next to them, then clearly we were on the front line as well.” He has called for a formal apology from Trump, labeling the statements as “disrespectful, inappropriate and unexpected.”
The UK’s involvement in Afghanistan began in 2001, following the 9/11 attacks, when the United States invoked Article 5 of NATO for the first and only time, declaring an attack on one member to be an attack on all. Between 2001 and 2014, British forces played a substantial role in the conflict, deploying as many as 11,000 troops at the conflict’s peak in 2011. Helmand Province saw some of the fiercest combat, particularly after troops were initially sent to aid redevelopment efforts in 2006 but quickly found themselves engaged in heavy fighting against the Taliban resurgence. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) accounted for many of the most severe casualties among British patrols on foot and in vehicles.
Andy Allen, an Ulster Unionist member of Northern Ireland’s assembly, also suffered life-changing injuries from an IED blast in Helmand in 2008. Only 19 and two months into his deployment, Allen lost his right leg and sustained severe damage to his left. He maintains that the fighting occurred at the front lines and that his comrades risked their lives to evacuate him. Allen plans to write to the White House to reaffirm NATO members’ commitment on the front line alongside American forces.
Criticism of allies’ contributions is not new within the administration. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who served in Afghanistan, once remarked that the NATO ISAF badge soldiers wore stood for “I saw Americans fighting.” Families of British soldiers affected by the war, such as Diane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson is one of the most severely injured survivors, were dismayed by Trump’s comments. Parkinson was injured in 2006 when his vehicle hit a mine near Musa Qala, and Dernie laments, “To have this man say that they played about behind the front lines, of course he’s angry. Of course we all are.”
Monica Kershaw’s son Christopher was among six British soldiers killed when their armoured vehicle struck an IED in Helmand Province, just weeks into his first deployment. She strongly defends their presence on the front line, saying, “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.” The deaths of Christopher and others such as Cpl Jake Hartley, Pte Anthony Frampton, Pte Daniel Wade, Sgt Nigel Coupe, and Pte Daniel Wilford underscore the grave dangers these troops faced. Kershaw points out the added pain of the fact their deployment was at America’s request, questioning, “Why were they coming back in wooden boxes?”
US Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, who served off the coast of Iraq and now supports Afghan wartime allies’ resettlement, echoed sentiments shared by many. He firmly states, “We see you. We know you were right there with us,” insisting that the accomplishments in Afghanistan could not have been achieved without NATO allies. When asked how British families might feel about the president’s comments, he said they would likely feel “betrayed” and offered a personal apology on behalf of those who fought alongside them.
Amongst NATO contributors, Canada also made significant sacrifices, with over 40,000 soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and 158 Canadian service members lost, the third-highest casualty count after the US and UK. Michael Akpata, a 2007 Afghanistan veteran and current deputy mayor of LaSalle, Ontario, described Trump’s remarks as diminishing the sacrifices made. He emphasizes the loss of 22 Canadians during his own tour and states that their dedication reflects Canada’s commitment to global peace. Akpata expresses his dismay over the president’s comments by noting, “It is disheartening
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