Gulf War hero John Nichol today lambasted Donald Trump’s ‘ludicrous’ and ‘demonstrably false’ claim that NATO troops dodged the frontline in Afghanistan.
Former RAF navigator John Nichol, who was held as a prisoner of war during the First Gulf War after his Tornado jet was shot down, branded the US President a ‘braggart’ and a ‘pub bore’.
In a stinging broadside on X, Mr Nichol, 62, who along with pilot John Peters suffered days of torture by Saddam Hussein’s henchmen, said: ‘ I wonder if he knows, understands, even cares, what is true?
‘To those he has hurt, insulted, vilified, I send you my deepest condolences for your loss, and gratitude for your service.’
Veterans have reacted with fury after Mr Trump claimed NATO troops stayed ‘a little off the frontlines’ in Afghanistan.
A total of 457 British personnel died in Afghanistan, with over 2,600 wounded, including 616 seriously or very seriously injured.
In an interview with Fox News in Davos, the President criticised NATO, saying he was not ‘sure’ the alliance would ‘be there if we ever needed them’.
He added: ‘We’ve never needed them.
‘They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines.’
Sir Keir Starmer has suggested the President should apologise for his ‘insulting and frankly appalling’ remarks, while the Duke of Sussex, who undertook two tours of Afghanistan, said British ‘sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect’.
Other critics have accused Mr Trump of being a ‘draft dodger’, who received five deferments during the Vietnam War, including for a bone spur in his heel.
Joining the chorus of disgust, Mr Nichol, now a prolific author, has published a hard-hitting 350-word criticism of the President’s inflammatory remarks.
‘I have been mulling if I should comment on President Trump’s inane comments about NATO involvement in Afghanistan,’ he wrote.
‘Although 35 years ago, during the US-led first Gulf War, I was lying, handcuffed & blindfolded – literally ‘shoulder to shoulder’ – with a US colleague on a concrete floor in an Iraqi interrogation bunker, I rather feel it should be the current generation who express any anger at the President’s ludicrous, demonstrably false utterings.
‘Which is why I earlier shared some posts from others.
‘But perhaps I will reflect like this – I watched Trump’s press conference in the wake of the terrible tragedy when a US helicopter collided with a civilian airliner last January in disbelief. 64 people lost their lives but it seemed to be about him – his expertise, his knowledge, what he thought had happened. Much of what he said was incorrect.
‘So I realised back then that it was going to be pointless trying to analyse any upcoming word-salads.
‘Everything is clearly about him; his expertise in every subject, his grasp of all situations. His need to say something, anything, to show he is the best, the cleverest, the smartest, the most knowledgeable kid on the block.
‘The pub-bore, the braggart, the know-it-all, pontificates on anything and everything in the hope of bolstering their own, clearly very low, self-esteem.’
Mr Nichol’s extraordinary ordeal at the hands of Saddam Hussein’s torturers featured in the best-selling book Tornado Down, which he co-wrote with Mr Peters.
The pair ejected over the Iraqi desert when their Tornado was hit by a missile on the first day of the 1991 Gulf War.
After being captured, they were tortured with cigarettes and rubber truncheons. Battered and bruised, they were paraded in front of TV cameras and forced to denounce the war – under threat of death.
Freed after seven weeks, after Iraq’s defeat, they told of having heard the terrifying screams of other prisoners ringing through the now infamous Abu Ghraib jail, 20 miles west of Baghdad.
Writing on X, Mr Nichol added: ‘I wonder that, in the President’s mind, that it doesn’t matter if what he says is factually correct?
‘I wonder if he knows, understands, even cares, what is true? He is saying some words, which in his mind, seems to suggest that he’s important and people will admire him, laud him.
‘The fact that everyone around him then applauds this character trait, thanking him for his ‘leadership’ at every turn, just amplifies his desire, his need to continue. He’s got want he wants – in his mind – attention, praise, admiration.
So to sum up, trying to analyse Trump’s ramblings is like trying to play chess with a pigeon. Somewhat interesting at first, but ultimately, truly pointless and rather frustrating.’
