Ulveon's Thoughts Ulveon's Thoughts

Remembering 9/11

Today, 11th September 2026, marks twenty-five years since the September 11 attacks that took the lives of thousands and additionally injured tens of thousands.

Whatever you may think of the attacks1, it is incontrovertible that hundreds of heroes responded to the incident: paramedics, first responders, firefighters, police officers, nurses, doctors, and many anonymous individuals who helped people affected by the attacks, and we must not forget their efforts. Many died during rescue and evacuation operations, while others developed serious health complications. Many survivors are still living with the consequences of their heroic acts.

In 2020, the NYPD confirmed that 247 NYPD police officers had died due to 9/11-related illnesses. In September 2022, the FDNY confirmed that 299 firefighters had died due to 9/11-related illnesses. Both agencies believe that the death toll will rise dramatically in the coming years. 2

I do not intend to make light of the sacrifices of these heroes, many of whom had to, on top of their regular duties and health complications, launch lawsuits and fight in court to be compensated for their deteriorated health. I have nothing but admiration and unwavering respect for these people, who I hope history will remember.

I think our remembrance of 9/11 has focused too heavily on the attacks themselves, the attackers’ motivations, and the security failures that made them possible. We have paid too little attention to how America’s allies responded.

The War on Terror

I’m referring to the invocation of NATO’s Article 5 [archived version]. On 13th September 2001, the US formally invoked NATO’s Article 5, as reported by the New York Times [archived version].

This would go on to be called “The War on Terror” and “The War in Afghanistan”.

This was the first time that any country invoked NATO’s Article 5. And, at the time of writing this post, it is also the only time any country has ever done so.

All eighteen other NATO members joined the response: Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland3, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Thousands of troops were deployed to Afghanistan at the request of the United States.

America cried for help after the brutal terrorist attack, and Europe, Canada, and Turkey responded without reservations.

The ISAF

In parallel to this, NATO spearheaded a wider, more international mission that would be open to non-NATO members called the International Security Assistance Force, whose primary goal was to train the Afghan military and assist Afghanistan in rebuilding government institutions, but which also ended up taking part in the broader war in Afghanistan.

Some key contributors to ISAF, in terms of deployed personnel, include4:

  • United Kingdom - 9500
  • Germany - 5000
  • France - 4005
  • Italy - 4000
  • Canada - 3079
  • Poland - 2580
  • Netherlands - 2200
  • Romania - 1949
  • Turkey - 1846
  • Spain - 1606
  • Georgia - 1561
  • Australia - 1550
  • Jordan - 1069
  • Bulgaria - 820
  • Denmark - 750
  • Czech Republic - 626
  • Hungary - 611
  • Norway - 600
  • Belgium - 530

On top of this, NATO collaborated with multiple countries in intelligence operations, notably:

  • Algeria
  • Egypt
  • Israel
  • Mauritania
  • Morocco
  • Tunisia

Have we forgotten the sacrifices these warfighters made? I certainly haven’t. But has Trump forgotten about everyone?

A message to Trump

On 28th March 2026 [archived version], Trump called into question America’s role in NATO and openly stated NATO has never served America:

We would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be, do we? Donald Trump

That sounds like a breaking story? Yes, sir. Is that breaking news? I think we just have breaking news, but that’s the fact. I’ve been saying ‌that. Why would we be there for them if they’re not there for us? They weren’t there for us. Donald Trump

Did you forget 9/11, Mr. Trump? Did you forget the hundreds of thousands of civilians, security forces personnel, troops, and officers that collaborated with America and fought side by side with American troops to further American interests?

Do not ever pretend to have the interests of America and ordinary Americans in mind if you are unable to pay respects to the people who literally died for your country, Mr. President. You are a traitor and a disgrace to not only America but the entire world.

May history put you where you belong, Mr. President.

  1. There are entire communities dedicated to discussing and propagating information of dubious veracity regarding whether the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by the US government. Evidently, this is difficult to prove with 100% certainty. ↩︎

  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks#Health_issues ↩︎

  3. How did Iceland, a country with no army, respond to America’s request for assistance under NATO’s Article 5? Good observation! Iceland did not deploy troops or military hardware, because, indeed, Iceland does not have a formally established army. They did, however, respond dutifully and to the best of their ability by deploying civilian peacekeepers and support personnel for Afghan missions. ↩︎

  4. It’s complicated to find exact figures for total deployments by country. The numbers here are snapshots, not totals for the entire war. Each figure is the highest I found for that country. ↩︎