Former commander of the Polish Army's elite GROM special forces unit, retired general Roman Polko, told US President Donald Trump today that even lies should not go so far as to insult the dignity of military veterans who fell for an ally - the United States of America (USA).
"Someone who has no idea what we were doing is destroying these enormous efforts, but above all, desecrating the memory of the veterans who died in that mission," said General Polko regarding Trump's latest claims that allies have never helped the US, and where they sent soldiers, they were not on the front lines.
General Polko recalled that Polish soldiers also participated in the mission in Iraq and Afghanistan at the invitation of the USA when, after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, NATO's Article 5 on collective defense was activated for the first and so far only time.
"Respect for those who fell for the sake of blood brotherhood requires that Trump, who crossed a red line, apologize. Even in lies, one must not go so far as to insult the dignity of veterans," Polko told Polish public television service TVP.info.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kośniak-Kamiś said today that Poland has always been a reliable ally and has participated, side by side with other NATO allies, in missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The tragic moments when our soldiers died showed that we are ready to pay the highest price for the defense of international security and the security of Poland. That sacrifice will never be forgotten and must not be underestimated," the Polish Defense Minister reacted to Trump's statements.
15.000 Polish soldiers served in US-led operations in Iraq, and 22 died. GROM commandos became famous on the first night of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, when they, together with US special forces, captured oil terminals in the Persian Gulf.
The Polish army sent 33.000 soldiers to Afghanistan over two decades, and 43 soldiers were killed, while GROM commandos participated in combat operations as an independent group, Task Force 49, from 2007 to 2013, with the task of eliminating insurgent cells and Taliban leaders.
Since Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who usually boasts of his good relations with Trump, did not speak out about the disparagement of Polish veterans, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski spoke out, saying on the X network: "The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces will certainly come forward to defend the honor of our soldiers."
Veterans in neighboring Czech Republic are also outraged, and media in both countries remind us that Trump himself avoided being sent to the Vietnam War in his youth.
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